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Drug Delivery Vehicle for Treatment of Eye Disease: Glaucoma

Detailed Technology Description

Human carbonic anhydrase (hCAII) is a metalloenzyme that catalyzes the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate and is associated with glaucoma (a major cause of blindness).Carboxybenzenesulfonamide, an inhibitor of the hCAII enzyme, is attached to nanoceria particles using epichlorohydrin as an intermediate linkage. Along with the CA inhibitor, a fluorophore (carboxyfluorescein) is also attached on the nanoparticles to enable the tracking of the nanoparticles in vitro as well as in vivo.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies carried out at each reaction step confirmed the successful derivatization of the nanoceria particles. The attachment of carboxyfluorescein was also confirmed by confocal fluorescence microscopy.

Industry

Biomedical

Sub Category

Medical Composition

*Abstract

Scientists at NDSU (in collaboration with University of Central Florida), have recently invented a novel cerium oxide nanoparticles (nanoceria) based drug delivery vehicle for treatment of glaucoma.While it is known that only a small amount of active medicines manage to penetrate the cornea, this invention combines nanoceria with hCAII (a compound that blocks the activity of an enzyme believed to play a central role in glaucoma) to form a complex that is exactly the right size to penetrate into the eye and treat the eye infection.The disease Glaucoma involves abnormally high pressure of the fluid inside the eye, which, if left untreated, can result in damage to the optic nerve and vision loss. High pressure occurs, in part, because of a buildup of carbon dioxide inside the eye. This compound blocks an enzyme that produces carbon dioxide.

*Principal Investigator

Name: Sanku Mallik

Department:

Country/Region

USA