Excipients in drug delivery systems: A comprehensive review of approved inactive ingredients for human ophthalmic formulations.

Pharmaceutical excipients, commonly known as inactive ingredients, encompass any substance aside from the active ingredient that fulfills a distinct and vital role in a formulation. Their purpose is to enhance specific characteristics, whether associated with the performance of the formulation or aspects related to patient comfort, safety, and acceptability. Because of the limited toxicity studies provided, and the several allergic and toxic side effects that have been reported throughout the years, it is not trivial for the regulatory agencies to approve inactive ingredients for human use.

Repeated exposure to low doses of light induces retinal damage in vivo in a wavelength-dependent manner.

The exposure of the general population to artificial light at night has dramatically increased in recent decades. Current standards for domestic lighting are based on acute exposure to light and consider blue wavelengths to be responsible for phototoxicity. However, meta-analyses pointed out the role of lifelong light exposure in the onset of age-related macular degeneration, suggesting a cumulative effect of light exposure.

Toll-like receptor-4 expression and oxidative stress in ocular rosacea.

Purpose: To investigate systemic and ocular toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 expression and its association with oxidative stress markers in ocular rosacea (OR).

Methods: This prospective study included 40 patients with rosacea with ocular involvement and 20 healthy volunteers. Tear break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer test, meibomoscore, and ocular surface disease index (OSDI) scores were estimated for all participants.

Differential Effect of Aldosterone or Mineralocorticoid Receptor Overexpression on Retinal Inflammation.

Purpose: Overactivation of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) pathway is proinflammatory and contributes to the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy and of age-related macular degeneration. Excess of aldosterone, the specific MR ligand, is known to stimulate the production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in extrarenal tissues and cells. In the RPE/choroid complex, aldosterone upregulated genes encoding proteins of the inflammatory response and downregulated genes encoding proteins involved in synaptic activity and neurotransmitters.