Functionalized smart surfaces to control the wound healing after glaucoma's surgery

Over the past decade, considerable attention has been directed toward the development of drug delivery systems capable of releasing therapeutic agents in a controlled and sustained manner over extended periods. Glaucoma, one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide, is commonly managed with topical eye drops. However, this treatment strategy often suffers from poor patient compliance and limited efficacy. When pharmacological therapy is insufficient, surgical intervention becomes necessary. Among the available surgical options, implantation of drainage devices to divert aqueous humor is widely performed. Despite their functional performance, postoperative wound healing frequently induces an exaggerated fibroblast response that obstructs the drainage channel, resulting in bleb failure. Consequently, the long-term success rate of such procedures is reported to be approximately 70% at one year. To mitigate this challenge, strategies involving localized and time-controlled delivery of antifibrotic drugs have been investigated. In the present study, a nanostructured film was engineered to release precise doses of the antimetabolite 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) at defined time intervals, aiming to modulate post-operative scarring. Previous work has demonstrated that encapsulation of 5-FU within β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD) cavities enhances drug solubility and reduces toxicity. Building on this concept, films were fabricated on quartz and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrates using the layer-by-layer (LBL) technique. Film growth and drug release kinetics were successfully monitored by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), demonstrating that PMMA substrates enable a more sustained and prolonged drug release compared to quartz. In conclusion, these findings highlight the significant advantages of polymeric materials commonly used in biomedical devices and wound-contact applications for controlled drug delivery systems.