Cationic lipid emulsions as potential bioadhesive carriers for ophthalmic delivery of palmatine

Abstract

Palmatine (PM) is a potent anti-infective agent used to treat eye diseases. However, PM is less effective for ocular application due to short residence time within the eyes. This study aimed to develop a cationic lipid emulsions (CLEs) for ophthalmic delivery of PM and evaluate its suitability in infection treatment. PM-loaded CLEs (PM-CLEs) were prepared through emulsifying/high-pressure homogenisation and characterised by particle size, ζ potential and morphology. The resulting PM-CLEs possessed a particle size of 192 nm and ζ potential of 45 mV around. In vitro release illustrated that PM was released less from CLEs. Corneal bioadhesion test showed that PM-CLEs exhibited an enhanced ocular residence time. Improved anti-infective activity was achieved in the model of fungus-induced keratitis. Furthermore, PM-CLEs demonstrated predominant cellular uptake and internalisation in the corneal epithelial cells. These results provide proof of concept that CLEs are promising bioadhesive carriers for ophthalmic delivery of PM.

Keywords:

• Palmatine
• cationic lipid emulsions
• ophthalmic delivery
• bioadhesion
• anti-infection

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Funding

This work was supported by the Key Research Project of Henan Provincial Science and Technology Department (No. 112102310306).