3D Printed Punctal Plugs for Controlled Ocular Drug Delivery

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomaterials Science
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Dry eye disease is a prevalent ocular condition with limited treatment efficacy due to poor drug bioavailability from eye drops.
• Current treatments for dry eye disease often involve eye drops, which suffer from poor ocular bioavailability.
• Developing advanced drug delivery systems is crucial for improving dry eye disease management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize dexamethasone-loaded punctal plugs using digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing.
• To investigate the drug release kinetics and cytocompatibility of 3D-printed punctal plugs.
• To explore DLP 3D printing as a platform for personalized ocular drug delivery.

Main Methods:

• Digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing was used to fabricate punctal plugs from polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) and polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400).
• Fabricated punctal plugs were characterized for physical properties (XRD, DSC), drug-photopolymer interactions (FTIR), drug release, and cytocompatibility.
• In vitro drug release was evaluated using a flow rig model simulating the subconjunctival space.

Main Results:

• 3D-printed punctal plugs demonstrated sustained release of dexamethasone for up to 7 days (20% PEG 400, 80% PEGDA) and over 21 days (100% PEGDA).
• Characterization confirmed the physical integrity and drug-photopolymer interactions within the semi-interpenetrating network (semi-IPN) structure.
• The punctal plugs exhibited favorable cytocompatibility, indicating their suitability for ocular administration.

Conclusions:

• DLP 3D printing is a viable manufacturing platform for creating personalized, drug-loaded punctal plugs.
• The developed punctal plugs offer extended-release characteristics for effective ocular drug delivery in dry eye disease.
• This technology holds promise for improving therapeutic outcomes in dry eye disease management.