title: New drug delivery system for corneal administration of mitomycin-C.
abstract: To develop a new corneal release system to deliver optimum amounts of mitomycin-C (MMC) during the perioperative period of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).
  
  
  
  Ophthalmos S/A, São Paulo, Brazil.
  
  
  
  Experimental study.
  
  
  
  An in vitro experimental design was developed for studying a new MMC delivery system at a drug concentration of 0.02%. Whatman sterile filter paper disks with a diameter of 8.0 mm were impregnated with MMC solution. After drying, the disks were placed on agar plates seeded with Staphylococcus epidermidis; this was followed by instillation of a drop of sterile water. After 1 minute, the disks were removed and the plates were incubated for 48 hours at 35°C. The mean volume of the drops delivered from regular eyedrop bottles was determined, and the inhibition zone (in millimeters) was correlated with the amount of MMC loaded onto the disks.
  
  
  
  Analysis of the inhibition zones produced by MMC indicated that 16 μg was the optimum dose to be incorporated in the disks. The mean volume of a drop delivered from eyedrop bottles was 37.7 μL. One minute after the application of a single drop of a balanced salt solution, the system released an adequate concentration of MMC for PRK.
  
  
  
  A new delivery system for MMC was successfully developed for application during photorefractive keratectomy.
  
  
  
  Dr. de Souza Lima Filho is the managing director of Ophtalmos S/A. Drs. de Souza Lima Filho, Irochima Pinheiro, and Oréfice have exclusive rights to intellectual property of this invention secured by a patent application filed with the Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial.
authors.affiliation: From the Graduate Program in Biotechnology (Pinheiro, Araújo-Filho, Rego, Azevedo), Potiguar University, the Laboratory of Dispersed Systems (Tabosa do Egito), Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal-RN, the Division of Uveitis, Brazilian Center for Visual Sciences (Oréfice), Belo Horizonte-MG, Ophthalmos S/A (Lima Filho), and the Department of Ophthalmology (Lima Filho), Federal University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Francisco Irochima
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.affiliation: From the Graduate Program in Biotechnology (Pinheiro, Araújo-Filho, Rego, Azevedo), Potiguar University, the Laboratory of Dispersed Systems (Tabosa do Egito), Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal-RN, the Division of Uveitis, Brazilian Center for Visual Sciences (Oréfice), Belo Horizonte-MG, Ophthalmos S/A (Lima Filho), and the Department of Ophthalmology (Lima Filho), Federal University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: irami.filho@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Irami
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Araújo-Filho
authors.affiliation: From the Graduate Program in Biotechnology (Pinheiro, Araújo-Filho, Rego, Azevedo), Potiguar University, the Laboratory of Dispersed Systems (Tabosa do Egito), Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal-RN, the Division of Uveitis, Brazilian Center for Visual Sciences (Oréfice), Belo Horizonte-MG, Ophthalmos S/A (Lima Filho), and the Department of Ophthalmology (Lima Filho), Federal University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Amalia Cinthia
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Meneses do Rego
authors.affiliation: From the Graduate Program in Biotechnology (Pinheiro, Araújo-Filho, Rego, Azevedo), Potiguar University, the Laboratory of Dispersed Systems (Tabosa do Egito), Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal-RN, the Division of Uveitis, Brazilian Center for Visual Sciences (Oréfice), Belo Horizonte-MG, Ophthalmos S/A (Lima Filho), and the Department of Ophthalmology (Lima Filho), Federal University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pereira de Azevedo
authors.affiliation: From the Graduate Program in Biotechnology (Pinheiro, Araújo-Filho, Rego, Azevedo), Potiguar University, the Laboratory of Dispersed Systems (Tabosa do Egito), Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal-RN, the Division of Uveitis, Brazilian Center for Visual Sciences (Oréfice), Belo Horizonte-MG, Ophthalmos S/A (Lima Filho), and the Department of Ophthalmology (Lima Filho), Federal University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eryvaldo Socrates
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Tabosa do Egito
authors.affiliation: From the Graduate Program in Biotechnology (Pinheiro, Araújo-Filho, Rego, Azevedo), Potiguar University, the Laboratory of Dispersed Systems (Tabosa do Egito), Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal-RN, the Division of Uveitis, Brazilian Center for Visual Sciences (Oréfice), Belo Horizonte-MG, Ophthalmos S/A (Lima Filho), and the Department of Ophthalmology (Lima Filho), Federal University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oréfice
authors.affiliation: From the Graduate Program in Biotechnology (Pinheiro, Araújo-Filho, Rego, Azevedo), Potiguar University, the Laboratory of Dispersed Systems (Tabosa do Egito), Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal-RN, the Division of Uveitis, Brazilian Center for Visual Sciences (Oréfice), Belo Horizonte-MG, Ophthalmos S/A (Lima Filho), and the Department of Ophthalmology (Lima Filho), Federal University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Acácio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alves de Souza Lima Filho
mesh_terms: D000477:Alkylating Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D054018:Lasers, Excimer; D016685:Mitomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009216:Myopia; D019990:Perioperative Care; D018903:Photorefractive Keratectomy
chemical_list: D000477:Alkylating Agents; D016685:Mitomycin