Purpose: To design an MG132-sustained drug delivery capsular ring (SDDCR) and investigate its effect on the inhibition of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) in a rabbit model.
Methods: The SDDCRs were prepared by forming a slice of film made by the mixture of poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) and MG132 on the surface of capsular tension rings (CTRs). The drug-loading capacity, entrapment efficiency, and in vitro release of the drug-containing film were detected. Eighteen New Zealand white rabbits were operated with phacoemulsification and MG132-SDDCRs/PLGA-CTRs/CTRs implantation in the single eye. The images of the anterior segments were acquired at certain days, and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers were detected by western blot and immunofluorescence.
Results: The drug-loading capacity and entrapment efficiency of MG132-SDDCRs were 1.15% ± 0.04% and 66.16% ± 0.027%, respectively, and the drug released well within a month. The PCO degree of the MG132-SDDCR group was significantly lower than the other groups. The expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin, fibronectin, vimentin, and collagen-I was lower, and the expression of E-cadherin (E-cad) was higher in the MG132-SDDCR group than the other groups.
Conclusions: MG132-SDDCRs could be established successfully. The PCO process was prevented, and the expression of EMT markers was inhibited by the implantation of MG132-SDDCRs, indicating that this could be a potential treatment against PCO.
Keywords: MG132; capsular tension ring; epithelial–mesenchymal transition; posterior capsule opacification; sustained drug delivery system.