Ten Years of Knowledge of Nano-Carrier Based Drug Delivery Systems in Ophthalmology: Current Evidence, Challenges, and Future Prospective

Jie Zhang,1,* Jinghua Jiao,2,* Meng Niu,3,* Xiaotong Gao,4 Guisen Zhang,5 Honghua Yu,6,* Xiaohong Yang,6 Lei Liu6,7 1Department of Ophthalmology, Weifang Eye Hospital, Weifang, 261041, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Anesthesiology, Central Hospital, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, 110024, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Radiology, First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism and the Institute of Endocrinology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Retina, Inner Mongolia Chaoju Eye Hospital, Hohhot, 010050, People’s Republic of China; 6Guangdong Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences; School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510120, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiaohong Yang; Lei Liu Email syyangxh@scut.edu.cn; liuleijiao@163.comAbstract: The complex drug delivery barrier in the eye reduces the bioavailability of many drugs, resulting in poor therapeutic effects. It is necessary to investigate new drugs through appropriate delivery routes and vehicles. Nanotechnology has utilized various nano-carriers to develop potential ocular drug delivery techniques that interact with the ocular mucosa, prolong the retention time of drugs in the eye, and increase permeability. Additionally, nano-carriers such as liposomes, nanoparticles, nano-suspensions, nano-micelles, and nano-emulsions have grown in popularity as an effective theranostic application to combat different microbial superbugs. In this review, we summarize the nano-carrier bas