Self-polymerized polyphenol-based platform for the management of dry eye pathogenesis

The management of ocular surface inflammation, particularly in conditions like dry eye disease (DED), remains challenging due to multiple pathogenic causes and ocular barriers. Traditional eye drops usually provide transient and partial symptom relief, necessitating combined therapies to break the vicious cycle of oxidative stress and inflammation. To surmount these limitations, a polyphenol-based eye drop is developed via the self-polymerization of rosmarinic acid in the presence of hyaluronic acid, followed by co-assembly with cerium ions to afford monodispersed RHC NPs. To enhance the ocular retention efficiency, thiol groups are further decorated on NPs (termed as s-RHC NPs). In two mouse models of DED, topical administration of s-RHC NPs leads to comprehensive relief of symptoms, including inflammatory response suppression, corneal epithelial defect repair, and tear secretion recovery. We envision that this work might facilitate the treatment of DED and inspire the design of polyphenol-based nanoparticles via a self-polymerization strategy.