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Research Article

Application of iontophoresis in ophthalmic practice: an innovative strategy to deliver drugs into the eye

, , , &
Article: 2165736 | Received 10 Oct 2022, Accepted 02 Jan 2023, Published online: 11 Jan 2023
 

Abstract

Delivery of drugs to special locations of ocular lesions, while minimizing systemic and local toxic effects, is recognized as a critical challenge in the ophthalmic practice. The special anatomy and physiology barriers within the eyeball entail effective drug delivery systems. Emerging attempts in drug delivery has led to developments in ocular iontophoresis, which acts as a noninvasive technology to enhance drug penetration using a small electric current. This technique offers greater flexibility to deliver desired drug dose in a controlled and tolerable manner. In previous studies, this technique has been testified to deliver antibiotics, corticoid, proteins and other gene drugs into the eye with the potency of treating or alleviating diverse ophthalmological diseases including uveitis, cataract, retinoblastoma, herpes simplex and cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMVR), etc. In this review, we will introduce the recent developments in iontophoresis device. We also summarize the latest progress in coulomb controlled iontophoresis (CCI), hydrogel ionic circuit (HIC) and EyeGate II delivery system (EGDS), as well as overview the potential toxicity of iontophoresis. We will discuss these factors that affect the efficacy of iontophoresis experiments, and focus on the latest progress in its clinical application in the treatment of eye diseases.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82101162), Key Research and Development and Promotion Project of Henan Province (No. 222102310061), Health Science and Technology Innovation Outstanding Young talents training program of Henan Province (No. YXKC2021027), Joint Project of Medical Science and Technology of Henan Province (No. LHGJ20200062) and Basic Research Project of Henan Eye Institute (No. 21JCQN002 and 21JCZD002).