Evaluation of nanoparticular carbonic anhydrase inhibitor effectiveness in the treatment of diabetic macular edema

Diabetic Retinopathy (DRP) is a clinical picture formed by all structural and functional changes in the retinal layer of the eye due to diabetes. Intravitreal injections are the gold standard treatment option for DRP, which is the most important cause of blindness in the world between the ages of 20-74. Within the scope of thesis studies; for the treatment of DRP, acetazolamide loaded cyclodextrin nanoparticle (ACZ-CD-NP) formulations to be applied intravitreally have been developed and the release and characterization studies of these nanoparticles have been carried out. The efficacy and toxicity of developed and characterized ACZ-CD-NPs have been investigated in in vitro and in vivo DRP disease model. In vitro efficacy was evaluated by TEER tests and permeability tests in the DRP disease model developed in the HRMEC cell line.Within the scope of in vivo studies, the therapeutic effect of intravitreal ACZ-CD-NP application have been evaluated in rabbit eyes with a DRP disease model by fundus examination, color fundus photography (CFF), Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Fundus Fluorescein Angiography (FFA) and Fundus Fluorophotometry (FFFM). In vitro toxicity was evaluated with the MTT test performed on HRMEC cell line, and within the scope of in vivo toxicity studies, anterior segment and posterior segment examination results and intraocular pressure measurements were evaluated in rabbits treated with intravitreal ACZ-CD-NP. When the results obtained from the studies were evaluated, it was determined that the intravitreal application of ACZ-CD-NP showed a significant therapeutic effect in the DRP disease model and did not cause any toxic effects on the eye tissues.