Xu, X; Awwad, S; Diaz-Gomez, L; Alvarez-Lorenzo, C; Brocchini, S; Gaisford, S; Goyanes, A; Xu, X; Awwad, S; Diaz-Gomez, L; Alvarez-Lorenzo, C; Brocchini, S; Gaisford, S; Goyanes, A; Basit, AW; - view fewer (2021) 3D Printed Punctal Plugs for Controlled Ocular Drug Delivery. Pharmaceutics , 13 (9) , Article 1421. 10.3390/pharmaceutics13091421.

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Abstract

Dry eye disease is a common ocular disorder that is characterised by tear deficiency or excessive tear evaporation. Current treatment involves the use of eye drops; however, therapeutic efficacy is limited because of poor ocular bioavailability of topically applied formulations. In this study, digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing was employed to develop dexamethasone-loaded punctal plugs. Punctal plugs with different drug loadings were fabricated using polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) and polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400) to create a semi-interpenetrating network (semi-IPN). Drug-loaded punctal plugs were characterised in terms of physical characteristics (XRD and DSC), potential drug-photopolymer interactions (FTIR), drug release profile, and cytocompatibility. In vitro release kinetics of the punctal plugs were evaluated using an in-house flow rig model that mimics the subconjunctival space. The results showed sustained release of dexamethasone for up to 7 days from punctal plugs made with 20% w/w PEG 400 and 80% w/w PEGDA, while punctal plugs made with 100% PEGDA exhibited prolonged releases for more than 21 days. Herein, our study demonstrates that DLP 3D printing represents a potential manufacturing platform for fabricating personalised drug-loaded punctal plugs with extended release characteristics for ocular administration.

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