Abstract
Purpose :
New therapeutic approaches in the treatment of diabetic keratopathy are still a desire in ophthalmology. Corneal nerves are mainly derived from the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal ganglion (TG). Corneal neuropathy contributes to epithelial degenerative changes in diabetic keratopathy. Efficient drug delivery to the TG may be beneficial for the treatment of diabetic keratopathy. The purpose of this abstract is to describe intranasal delivery of nanomicelle curcumin to correct pathophysiological conditions in TG to promote corneal epithelial/nerve wound healing in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice.
Methods :
A diabetic mice model with corneal abrasion was established. Ocular topical and/or intranasal nanomicelle curcumin treatments were performed, and treatment efficacy and mechanisms of action were explored.
Results :
Intranasal nanomicelle curcumin treatment promoted epithelial wound healing and recovery of corneal sensation. Enhanced accumulation of reactive oxygen species, reduced free radical scavengers, upregulated mRNA expressions of inflammatory cytokines, and downregulated mRNA expressions of neurotrophic factors in the cornea and TG neuron were observed in diabetic mice with corneal abrasions. Intranasal nanomicelle curcumin treatment effectively recovered these pathophysiological conditions, especially that of the TG neuron, and a synergistic recovery was observed with ocular topical combined with intranasal treatment. No brain and nasal mucosa toxicity were absent in animals that received intranasal drug as compared with ocular topical delivery.
Conclusions :
Intranasal curcumin treatment effectively corrected TG neurons by reducing oxidative stress, downregulating inflammatory cytokines, and upregulating neurotrophic factors in diabetic cornea with corneal abrasion, and these contributed to promoting diabetic corneal epithelial/nerve wound healing. This novel treatment might be a promising synergistic therapy for diabetic keratopathy.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.