Delivery of antiangiogenic and antioxidant drugs of ophthalmic interest through a nanoporous inorganic filter.

Purpose: We propose a novel method of administration of antiangiogenic and antioxidant drugs, with potential clinical application in the treatment of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We suggest the encapsulation of drugs in implantable sustained release devices, limited by membranes with pores in the tens of nanometers diameter range, which display a slower, quasi-linear release kinetics, and a better selectivity than other membranes. In this paper we explored the feasibility of this approach by testing in vitro several key elements of the nanofilter system: diffusion of drugs of interest, efficacy in producing desirable effects on cells, and biocompatibility of used material with some of the cells encountered in the ocular cavity.