Doctoral Dissertations

Keywords and Phrases

cataract; glaucoma; MIVM; nanoparticle; ocular; ROS

Abstract

Effective ocular drug delivery has always been a challenge for clinical and research. Although many nanotechnology-based formulations have been developed and showed great potential in ocular drug delivery, this is far from enough to meet clinical requirements. These studies aimed at the design and synthesis of novel nanoparticles using multi-inlet vortex mixer (MIVM) to improve ocular drug delivery efficiency. The first project involves packaging two different anti-glaucoma drugs, brimonidine (BM) and betaxolol (BX), into solid drug nanoparticles (SDNs) by MIVM, which can achieve both functions, reducing aqueous humor production and promoting aqueous humor efflux. The studies demonstrate that the SDNs can enhance corneal permeability and effectively maintain intraocular pressure (IOP), improve drug bioavailability with reduced administration frequency. The second work reports the development of dendrimer-based nanogels (G5-TK) engineered to act as a carrier with reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging capabilities in ocular drug delivery. The ROS scavenging capability and favorable safety of these nanogels was confirmed in our studies. The G5-TK nanogels can be further utilized as carriers for therapeutic delivery applications targeting oxidative stress-related pathological conditions. The third project focused on the evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of nano-formulations compared to conventional antioxidant drug delivery methods. Specifically, it aimed to assess their drug delivery efficiency, antioxidative capacity, and therapeutic potential in preventing and mitigating cataract formation.

Advisor(s)

Yang, Hu

Committee Member(s)

Convertine, Anthony J.
Elazab, Hany A.
Wang, Jee-Ching
Ercal, Nuran

Department(s)

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Degree Name

Ph. D. in Chemical Engineering

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Summer 2025

Journal article titles appearing in thesis/dissertation

Paper I, found on pages 25-55, has been published in Advanced Science Journal. 2024, 11(31): 2401648.

Paper II, found on pages 56-83, has been published in Biomacromolecules Journal. 2025.

Paper III, found on pages 84-112, is intended for submission.

Pagination

xii, 129 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes_bibliographical_references_(pages 121-128)

Rights

© 2025 Lin Qi , All Rights Reserved

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Thesis Number

T 12544

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