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Microenvironment-Responsive Drug Delivery Systems for Ocular Surface Diseases: Mechanisms, Applications, and
Jiamin Liu1,2, Liangbo Chen1,2, Yao Fu1,2
1Department of Ophthalmology Ninth People's Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Shanghai China.
Small Science
|August 4, 2026
Summary
Microenvironment-responsive drug delivery systems (MR-DDSs) offer a promising solution to overcome ocular barriers, improving drug bioavailability for eye diseases. This review highlights advances in MR-DDSs for enhanced ocular therapeutics.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Biomaterials Science
- Drug Delivery Systems
Background:
- Ocular drug delivery faces challenges due to physiological barriers, resulting in low bioavailability and frequent dosing.
- Novel microenvironment-responsive drug delivery systems (MR-DDSs) present a promising strategy to overcome these limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review recent advancements in MR-DDSs for ocular disease treatment.
- To provide insights for clinicians and researchers on material design, performance evaluation, and clinical translation.
Main Methods:
- Elucidation of ocular microenvironment characteristics (pH, temperature, ions, ROS, enzymes) under normal and pathological conditions.
- Introduction of stimulus-responsive polymers, their properties, and molecular mechanisms.
- Summary of preparation methods, characterization techniques, and performance metrics for MR-DDSs.
Main Results:
- Overview of MR-DDS applications in treating ocular surface diseases like dry eye, infectious keratitis, and corneal neovascularization.
- Analysis of therapeutic efficacy of various MR-DDS formulations.
- Identification of obstacles and future research directions for clinical translation.
Conclusions:
- MR-DDSs show significant potential for improving ocular disease management by overcoming conventional formulation limitations.
- This review provides a comprehensive framework for developing and translating MR-DDSs for clinical use in ophthalmology.
Keywords:
characterization techniquesdry eye diseaseinfectious keratitismicroenvironment‐responsive drug deliverytranslational barriersMore Related Videos
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