Diclofenac/biodegradable polymer micelles for ocular applications

In this paper, methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (MPEG-PCL) micelle formulations as promising nano-carriers for poorly water soluble drugs were investigated for the delivery of diclofenac to the eye. Diclofenac loaded MPEG-PCL micelles were prepared by a simple solvent-diffusion method and characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetery (DSC), etc. With the analysis of XRD and DSC, the diclofenac was present as an amorphous state in the formulation. The in vitro release profile indicated a sustained release manner of diclofenac from the micelles. Meanwhile, in vivo studies on eye irritation were performed with blank MPEG-PCL micelles (200 mg ml(-1)). The results showed that the developed MPEG-PCL micelles were non-irritants to the eyes of rabbits. In vitro penetration studies across the rabbit cornea demonstrated that the micelle formulations exhibited a 17-fold increase in penetration compared with that of diclofenac phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solution. The in vivo pharmacokinetics profile of the micelle parent drug in the aqueous humor of the rabbit was evaluated and the data showed that the diclofenac loaded MPEG-PCL micelles exhibited a 2-fold increase in AUC(0-24 h) than that of the diclofenac PBS solution eye drops. These results suggest a great potential of our micelle formulations as a novel ocular drug delivery system to improve the bioavailability of the drugs.