Penetratin Peptide-Loaded Contact Lenses Boost Drug Delivery to the Back of the Eye
Contact lenses co-releasing dexamethasone and the cell-penetrating peptide penetratin significantly increased drug levels in the cornea and aqueous humor compared to drug-only lenses in rabbits.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Co-delivery of dexamethasone with penetratin from contact lenses significantly increased drug concentrations in the cornea and aqueous humor after 6 hours of wear in rabbits.
Key Numbers
Co-released dexamethasone sodium phosphate and penetratin (cell-penetrating peptide) from contact lens platform.
How They Did This
Development and characterization of HEMA-based hydrogel contact lenses functionalized with AAc and/or APMA, with in vitro release kinetics, biocompatibility testing, and in vivo ocular distribution in rabbits after 6 hours of CL wearing.
Why This Research Matters
Getting drugs past the eye's tissue barriers to treat conditions like macular degeneration or uveitis is a major clinical challenge. Cell-penetrating peptides in contact lenses could offer a non-invasive alternative to eye injections.
The Bigger Picture
If validated clinically, this approach could transform how posterior eye diseases are treated — replacing painful, repeated eye injections with comfortable daily contact lens wear that delivers drugs past tissue barriers via cell-penetrating peptides.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Rabbit eye model may not fully predict human ocular drug distribution; only one drug-peptide combination tested; long-term safety of repeated penetratin exposure to ocular tissues unknown; posterior segment drug levels not specifically measured; small animal study.
Questions This Raises
- ?Can penetratin-enhanced contact lens delivery reach therapeutic drug levels in the retina?
- ?What is the long-term safety profile of repeated penetratin exposure to the cornea?
- ?Can this platform be extended to other ophthalmic drugs beyond corticosteroids?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Significant increase in corneal and aqueous humor drug levels with penetratin co-delivery vs drug-only lenses
- Evidence Grade:
- Preliminary preclinical evidence from a rabbit model. Well-designed study with in vitro and in vivo validation, but human translation remains to be demonstrated.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2024, representing current innovation in peptide-enhanced ocular drug delivery.
- Original Title:
- Dexamethasone phosphate and penetratin co-eluting contact lenses: a strategy to enhance ocular drug permeability.
- Published In:
- International journal of pharmaceutics, 650, 123685 (2024)
- Authors:
- Toffoletto, Nadia, Salema-Oom, Madalena, Nicoli, Sara(2), Pescina, Silvia, González-Fernández, Felipe M, Pinto, Carlos A, Saraiva, Jorge A, Alves de Matos, António P, Vivero-Lopez, Maria, Huete-Toral, Fernando, Carracedo, Gonzalo, Saramago, Benilde, Serro, Ana Paula
- Database ID:
- RPEP-09391
Evidence Hierarchy
Frequently Asked Questions
Could contact lenses replace eye injections?
This study moves in that direction. By embedding a cell-penetrating peptide (penetratin) in the lens alongside the drug, it significantly improved how much medication got into deeper eye tissues in rabbits — potentially eliminating the need for injections for some conditions.
How does the peptide help the drug get into the eye?
Penetratin is a cell-penetrating peptide — it can cross biological barriers that normally block drugs. When released alongside dexamethasone from the contact lens, it acts as a carrier that helps shuttle the drug through the cornea and into deeper eye structures.
Read More on RethinkPeptides
Cite This Study
https://rethinkpeptides.com/research/RPEP-09391APA
Toffoletto, Nadia; Salema-Oom, Madalena; Nicoli, Sara; Pescina, Silvia; González-Fernández, Felipe M; Pinto, Carlos A; Saraiva, Jorge A; Alves de Matos, António P; Vivero-Lopez, Maria; Huete-Toral, Fernando; Carracedo, Gonzalo; Saramago, Benilde; Serro, Ana Paula. (2024). Dexamethasone phosphate and penetratin co-eluting contact lenses: a strategy to enhance ocular drug permeability.. International journal of pharmaceutics, 650, 123685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123685
MLA
Toffoletto, Nadia, et al. "Dexamethasone phosphate and penetratin co-eluting contact lenses: a strategy to enhance ocular drug permeability.." International journal of pharmaceutics, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123685
RethinkPeptides
RethinkPeptides Research Database. "Dexamethasone phosphate and penetratin co-eluting contact le..." RPEP-09391. Retrieved from https://rethinkpeptides.com/research/toffoletto-2024-dexamethasone-phosphate-and-penetratin
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkPeptides research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.