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Receptor-Targeted Prodrug Approach for Retina and Posterior Segment Disease

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Drug Delivery for the Retina and Posterior Segment Disease

Abstract

Extensive research has been done in the field of ocular study, to develop and to enhance ocular bioavailability of drugs. Regardless it still faces challenges, as less than 5% of the dose administered reaches to the target site, which is insufficient to produce a pharmacological effect. The chemical methods including the development of prodrugs have proven to be a promising approach to improve ocular drug residence time and bioavailability.

Utilization of prodrugs for the treatment of posterior segment diseases was observed to be an innovative way to overcome barriers pertaining to drug delivery to the specific site. Prodrug effectively permeates the external ocular barriers, cornea and scleral tissues and has a greater partition coefficient. Prodrug approach offers a few points of interest like enhancement of drug solubility, stability, site-specific delivery, decreased toxicity and efflux pump evasion. This section stresses on hypothesis and uses of receptor-focused prodrug approach for ocular drug delivery systems.

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Abbreviations

ACV:

Acyclovir

ARMD/AMD:

Age-related macular degeneration

AV:

Arterial vein

BOB:

Blood–ocular barrier

BRB:

Blood–retinal barrier

BRVO:

Branched retinal vein occlusion

CRVO:

Central retinal vein occlusion

EAAT:

Excitatory amino acid receptors

GABA:

Gamma amino butyric acid

GCV:

Ganciclovir

HR:

Hypertensive retinopathy

HSV:

Herpes simplex virus

IV:

Intravenous

MCTs:

Monocarboxylic acid transporters

PCFT:

Proton-coupled folate transporter

P-gp:

P-glycoprotein

PHVP:

Persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous

PVD:

Posterior vitreous detachments

RBCs:

Red blood cells

RFC:

Reduced folate carrier

RVO:

Retinal vein occlusion

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Mehta, T., Patel, V., Sharma, O.P. (2018). Receptor-Targeted Prodrug Approach for Retina and Posterior Segment Disease. In: Patel, J., Sutariya, V., Kanwar, J., Pathak, Y. (eds) Drug Delivery for the Retina and Posterior Segment Disease. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95807-1_21

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