Design and Development of PH-Sensitive In-Situ Ophthalmic Gel For Open-Angle Glaucoma

Abstract

Glaucoma is a condition in which the nerve connecting the eye to the brain is damaged due to high intraocular pressure. According to the world health organization, openangle glaucoma is the leading cause of vision loss. In India, over 12 million people are suffering from glaucoma. As of now, there are different formulations are available in the form of solutions. However conventional eye solutions have poor retention time and rapid washout, which causes a less therapeutic effect. Literature shows promising results in an in-situ ocular gel. The in-situ gel is the formulation having the ability to convert from sol to gel. Timolol maleate is used as a model drug which is commonly used as a β-blocker. This study aims to develop a pH-sensitive in-situ ophthalmic gel for sustained delivery of Timolol. Here Gellan gum was employed as a pH-responsive polymer. Gellan gum has the property to convert sol to gel as pH changes therefore it was used as a polymer. The developed novel in-situ gel was characterized for texture analysis, viscosity, gelling capacity, DSC, FTIR, and drug release study. It shows sustained drug release for up to two hours in the ocular region with more than 80 % drug release and it is predicted that it will improve bioavailability and patient compliance.