Efficacy and safety of three ophthalmic inserts for topical anaesthesia of the cornea. An exploratory comparative dose-ranging, double-blind, randomized trial in healthy volunteers

Hyaluronan Does Not Affect Bupivacaine's Inhibitory Action on Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel Activities in Bovine Articular Chondrocytes

Objectives. The objective of this paper is to determine if hyaluronan affects bupivacaine's anesthetic function. Methods. Whole cell patch clamp recordings were performed on bovine articular chondrocytes cultured in 60 mm dishes. The chondrocytes were treated with phosphate-buffered saline (control group), 7.5 mg/mL hyaluronan (Orthovisc), 0.25% bupivacaine, or a mixture of 7.5 mg/mL hyaluronan and 0.25% bupivacaine. Outward currents were elicited by step depolarization from −90 mV to 150 mV with 5 mV increments and holding for 200 ms. Results. The amplitude of outward currents elicited at 150 mV was 607.1 ± 135.4 pA (mean ± standard error) in the chondrocytes treated with phosphate buffered saline, 550.0 ± 194.9 pA in the chondrocytes treated with hyaluronan, 18.4 ± 8.3 pA in the chondrocytes treated with bupivacaine, and 12.8 ± 2.6 pA in the chondrocytes treated with a mixture of hyaluronan and bupivacaine. Conclusion. Hyaluronan does not affect bupivacaine's inhibitory action on the potassium channel activities in bovine articular chondrocytes. This finding suggests that intra-articular injection of a mixture of hyaluronan and bupivacaine may not affect the anesthetic effects of bupivacaine.

Drug delivery systems for the eye

Topical and systemic administration of drugs to the eye is highly inefficient and there is a need for controlled, sustained release, particularly for conditions that affect the posterior segment. Various nonimplantable and implantable drug delivery devices have been developed. Colloidal carriers may allow targeted drug delivery and afford protection to substances that are sensitive to degradation, particularly RNA/DNA-based treatments. Gene therapy and cell transplantation are also starting to emerge as alternatives to conventional pharmacological treatment. There is the potential to use existing ocular devices to deliver drugs. In order to exploit this opportunity, modifications to drugs and devices, along with clarification of the appropriate drug dose, must be undertaken. This review will describe some of the treatment options for ocular disease and barriers to drug delivery, discuss the design of existing drug delivery systems and highlight some of the research into combining drug delivery with existing ocular medical devices.