Cited by 38Glaucoma and retinal disordersNanoparticle-Based Drug DeliveryAdvanced Drug Delivery Systems

Targeted delivery of cell softening micelles to schlemm's canal endothelial cells for treatment of glaucoma

Open access
Stack, Trevor, Vincent, Michael, Vahabikashi, Amir, Li, Guorong, Perkumas, Kristin M., Stamer, W. Daniel, Johnson, Mark, Scott, Evan·2020·Small

Abstract

Increased stiffness of the Schlemm's canal (SC) endothelium in the aqueous humor outflow pathways has been associated with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in glaucoma. Novel treatments that relax this endothelium, such as actin depolymerizers and rho kinase inhibitors, are in development. Unfortunately, these treatments have undesirable off-target effects and a lower than desired potency. To address these issues, a targeted PEG-b-PPS micelle loaded with actin depolymerizer latrunculin A (tLatA-MC) is developed. Targeting of SC cells is achieved by modifying the micelle surface with a high affinity peptide that binds the VEGFR3/FLT4 receptor, a lymphatic lineage marker found to be highly expressed by SC cells relative to other ocular cells. During in vitro optimization, increasing the peptide surface density increased micellar uptake in SC cells while unexpectedly decreasing uptake by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). The functional efficacy of tLatA-MC, as measured by decreased SC cell stiffness compared to non-targeted micelles (ntLatA-MC) or targeted blank micelles (tBL-MC), is verified using atomic force microscopy. tLatA-MC reduced IOP in an in vivo mouse model by 30-50%. The results validate the use of a cell-softening nanotherapy to selectively modulate stiffness of SC cells for therapeutic reduction of IOP and treatment of glaucoma.

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Crossref · 10.1002/smll.202004205

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36 of 36 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • A single dose of tLatA-MC achieved a rapid and substantial reduction in IOP by 30-50% in a mouse model, effectively normalizing pressure within 4 h and sustaining the effect for up to 24 h.

    “Notably, a single dose of tLatA-MC achieved a rapid and substantial reduction in IOP by 30–50 % in a mouse model, effectively normalizing the pressure within 4 h of administration and sustaining the effect for up to 24 h.”

    From From design to Deployment: The innovative role of nanomicelles in targeted ophthalmic therapeutics (2025) · cites this paper as [161]

    The section “tLatA-MC reduces IOP in C57Bl6 mice” (page unavailable) reports 30–49% lower IOP than comparator micelles at 24 hours after injection. Our copy does not report pressure normalization within 4 hours or establish when the reduction began, so the claimed rapid onset and sustained effect from 4 to 24 hours are unsupported. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The results validate tLatA-MC utilization as a cell-softening nanotherapy to selectively regulate SC cell stiffness for IOP reduction and glaucoma management.

    “The results validate its utilization as a cell-softening nanotherapy to selectively regulate SC cell stiffness for IOP reduction and glaucoma management [161]”
  • Modification of PEG-b-PPS with specific targeted peptides could effectively target SC cells and increase their uptake, which is a neoteric strategy for the management of glaucoma.

    “It reported that the modification of PEG-b-PPS with specific targeted peptides could effectively target SC cells and increase their uptake, which is a neoteric strategy for the management of glaucoma [161].”

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Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. [5]Peterson JA, Tian B, Bershadsky AD, Volberg T, Gangnon RE, Spector I, Geiger B, Kaufman PL, Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci 1999, 40, 931. 10102290
  2. [6]Andrés-Guerrero V, García-Feijoo J, Konstas AG, Adv Ther 2017, 34, 1049. 28349508 PMC5427152
  3. [13]Allen SD, Liu Y-G, Bobbala S, Cai L, Hecker PI, Temel R, Scott EA, Nano Res. 2018, 11, 5689.
  4. [15]Peterson JA, Tian B, McLaren JW, Hubbard WC, Geiger B, Kaufman PL, Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci 2000, 41, 1749. 10845595
  5. [32]Stamer WD, Roberts BC, Howell DN, Epstein DL, Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci 1998, 39, 1804. 9727403

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Authors
Stack, T., Vincent, M., Vahabikashi, A., Li, G., Perkumas, K. M., Stamer, W. D., Johnson, M., & Scott, E.
Affiliations
  • Northwestern University (US)
  • Duke University (US)
Corresponding author
Scott, Evan
Venue
Small
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2020-10
Volume
16
Issue
43
Pages
e2004205-e2004205
ISSN
  • 1613-6810 (ISSN-L)
  • 1613-6829
OpenAlex
W3090501045
Cited by
37
References
36
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 11
FWCI
3.96
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Small (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institutes of Health (1R01EY019696, 1R0EY022359)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Ophthalmology › Glaucoma and retinal disorders
  • Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery
  • Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmaceutical Science › Advanced Drug Delivery Systems
Keywords
glaucoma, Schlemm's canal endothelial cells, cell softening, micelles, latrunculin A, actin depolymerization, peptide surface modification, targeted drug delivery, intraocular pressure, endothelial stiffness, aqueous humor outflow, nanotherapy
MeSH terms
Animals, Aqueous Humor, Eye, Glaucoma, Micelles, Endothelial Cells, Mice

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