LIPOSOMAL ENCAPSULATION OF CITICOLINE FOR OCULAR DRUG DELIVERY, AND POLYSACCHARIDE BASED HYDROGELS FOR ARTICULAR CARTILAGE TREATMENT

Glaucoma represents a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by optic nerve damage and the slowly progressive death of retinal ganglion cells. Pharmaceutical treatment of glaucoma is problematic because the properties of the ocular barrier limit the penetration of ocular drugs, resulting in lower systemic bioavailability. This problem conditions frequent drug administration, which leads to the deposition of concentrated solutions on the eye, causing toxic effects and cellular damage to the eye. To overcome these drawbacks, novel drug delivery systems such as liposomes play an important role in improving the therapeutic efficacy of anti-glaucomatous drugs. In this work, liposomes were synthesized to improve various aspects, such as ocular barrier penetration, bioavailability, sustained release of the drug, targeting to the tissue, and reduction of intraocular pressure. Citicoline (CDP-choline; cytidine 5′-phosphocholine) is an important intermediate in the biosynthesis of cell membrane phospholipids, with neuroprotective and neuroenhancement properties. Citicoline was used in the treatment of retinal function and neural conduction in the visual pathways of glaucoma patients. In this study citicoline was loaded in the DOPC:CH liposomal carrier to improve its therapeutic effects. The citicoline-encapsulation efficiency, drug leakage and size analysis of various liposome systems were studied. Cartilage injury is still a concern to humans since it does not cure on its own, and there is presently no treatment available to entirely restore cartilage function. A porous, three-dimensional network material called hydrogel, which can hold a lot of water and is insoluble Glaucoma represents a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by optic nerve damage and the slowly progressive death of retinal ganglion cells. Pharmaceutical treatment of glaucoma is problematic because the properties of the ocular barrier limit the penetration of ocular drugs, resulting in lower systemic bioavailability. This problem conditions frequent drug administration, which leads to the deposition of concentrated solutions on the eye, causing toxic effects and cellular damage to the eye. To overcome these drawbacks, novel drug delivery systems such as liposomes play an important role in improving the therapeutic efficacy of anti-glaucomatous drugs. In this work, liposomes were synthesized to improve various aspects, such as ocular barrier penetration, bioavailability, sustained release of the drug, targeting to the tissue, and reduction of intraocular pressure. Citicoline (CDP-choline; cytidine 5′-phosphocholine) is an important intermediate in the biosynthesis of cell membrane phospholipids, with neuroprotective and neuroenhancement properties. Citicoline was used in the treatment of retinal function and neural conduction in the visual pathways of glaucoma patients. In this study citicoline was loaded in the DOPC:CH liposomal carrier to improve its therapeutic effects. The citicoline-encapsulation efficiency, drug leakage and size analysis of various liposome systems were studied. Cartilage injury is still a concern to humans since it does not cure on its own, and there is presently no treatment available to entirely restore cartilage function. A porous, three-dimensional network material called hydrogel, which can hold a lot of water and is insoluble in water, is frequently utilised in the medical industry and has outstanding mechanical qualities. To repair cartilage, researchers are particularly interested in the mechanical characteristics and biocompatibility of hydrogel constructed of composite materials. The features of natural extracellular matrix (ECM), good biocompatibility, and strong flexibility to adapt to irregular cartilage defect surfaces are the key benefits of injectable hydrogels for cartilage injury. Injectable hydrogels are a promising approach for the engineering of cartilage tissue because of their inherent features. To take advantage of a combination of both chemical and physical crosslinking, freeze-thaw Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) micro-particles were manufactured first and incorporated in various concentrations to chondroitin sulphate hydrogel, as a natural polysaccharide. This process produced an injectable hydrogel with a high modulus that is suitable for applications involving load-bearing soft tissues (LBST) with high moduli, such as cartilage. The effect of several parameters such as cross-linking conditions and prepolymer concentrations on the mechanical characteristics of hydrogels were studied.