Retinoblastoma in Mexico: part I. A review of general knowledge of the disease, diagnosis, and management

Ocular polymeric nanomicelles for the posterior eye segment in the management of retinoblastoma: formulation, optimization, in vitro and ex vivo evaluations

The existing study focuses on the development, optimization, and evaluation of sorafenib-loaded polymeric nanomicelles for posterior segment delivery in treating retinoblastoma. The formulation involved adjusting various process and product parameters to create effective drug-loaded polymeric nanomicelles. The particle size, PDI, and zeta potential of optimized formulation were found to be 65.52 ± 1.18 nm, 0.14 ± 0.01, and -3.26 ± 0.66 mV, respectively. The entrapment efficiency and drug release were estimated to be 98.84% ± 0.001 and 99.99% in 6 h, respectively. Additionally, the optimized formulation demonstrated acceptable outcomes for solid-state analysis, osmolality, pH, residual solvent, and morphological properties. After 8 h, the ex vivo transcleral permeation and scleral deposition were 629.05 ± 124.11 ng/cm2 and 4.10 ± 0.54 µg, respectively. Y-79 (human retinoblastoma) cell line study using standard drug, test drug, and optimized formulation revealed anticancer potential at all time points (6, 12, 18, and 24 h) with comparable IC50 values. Furthermore, the optimized formulation exhibited no toxicity on the ARPE-19 (human retinal pigmented epithelium) cell line over 24 h. The optimized formulation was non-irritating to the eye (HET-CAM) and remained stable for 6 months. Thus, drug delivery to the posterior eye segment for the treatment of retinoblastoma appears to be possible with the help of established technology.

Advanced Technologies of Drug Delivery to the Posterior Eye Segment Targeting Angiogenesis and Ocular Cancer

Retinoblastoma (RB), a childhood retinal cancer is caused due to RB1 gene mutation which affects the child below 5 years of age. Angiogenesis has been proven its role in RB metastasis due to the presence of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in RB cells. Therefore, exploring angiogenic pathway by inhibiting VEGF in treating RB would pave the way for future treatment. In preclinical studies, anti-VEGF molecule have shown their efficacy in treating RB. However, treatment requires recurrent intra-vitreal injections causing various side effects along with patient nonadherence. As a result, delivery of anti-VEGF agent to retina requires an ocular delivery system that can transport it in a non-invasive manner to achieve patient compliance. Moreover, development of these type of systems are challenging due to the complicated physiological barriers of eye. Adopting a non-invasive or minimally invasive approach for delivery of anti-VEGF agents would not only address the bioavailability issues but also improve patient adherence to therapy overcoming the side effects associated with invasive approach. The present review focuses on the eye cancer, angiogenesis and various novel ocular drug delivery systems that can facilitate inhibition of VEGF in the posterior eye segment by overcoming the eye barriers.