Marto Costa, CarolinaToffoletto, NadiaSalema-Oom, MadalenaAntunes, Alexandra M. M.Pinto, Carlos A.Saraiva, Jorge A.Silva Herdade, Ana S.Álvarez Lorenzo, CarmenSerro, Ana Paula2024-04-292024-04-292024Carbohydrate Polymers, Volume 331, 2024, 1218800144-8617http://hdl.handle.net/10347/33696Contact lenses (CLs) constitute an advantageous platform for the topical release of corticosteroids due to their prolonged contact with the eye. However, the lipophilic nature of corticosteroids hampers CLs' ability to release therapeutic amounts. Two approaches to improve loading and release of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) from poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-based hydrogels were investigated: adding 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) to the monomers solution before polymerization (HEMA/i-CD) and an hydrogels' post-treatment with HP-β-CD (HEMA/p-CD). The effect of HP-β-CD and sterilization by high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) on the hydrogel properties (water content, oxygen and ion permeability, roughness, transmittance, and stiffness) was evaluated. The HEMA/i-CD hydrogels had stronger affinity for TA, sustaining its release for one day. HHP sterilization promoted the formation of cyclodextrin-TA complexes within the hydrogels, improving their drug-loading capacity »60 %. Cytotoxicity and irritability tests confirmed the safety of the therapeutic CLs. TA released from the hydrogels permeated through ocular tissues ex vivo and showed anti-inflammatory activity. Finally, a previously validated mathematical model was used to estimate the ability of the TA-loaded CLs to deliver therapeutic drug concentrations to the posterior part of the eye. Overall, HP-β-CD-containing CLs are promising candidates for the topical ocular application of TA as an alternative delivery system to intraocular injectionsengAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Triamcinolone acetonideCyclodextrinDrug-eluting contact lensesDiabetic macular edemaHigh hydrostatic pressure sterilizationjournal article10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.121880open access