Supercritical Fluids as a State-of-the-Art Formulation Method of Nanoparticles for Ocular Drug Delivery

Abstract

Conventional ophthalmic dosage forms, although being simple to apply and presenting great patients' compliance, display poorer drug bioavailability and retention time on the eye surface. To cope with these problems, one must formulate novel drug delivery systems, such as nanosystems, for ocular drug delivery. Different formulation methods of nanoparticles have been developed, but some of them, such as the supercritical fluid method, have not reached their full potential in ocular drug delivery. This article aims to present the possibilities of the supercritical fluid method when preparing nanosystems for ocular drug delivery. This method could be used more frequently and efficiently because it is environmentally friendly and produces nanoparticles of the desired physicochemical properties, which is especially important in ocular drug delivery considering its peculiarities. Modifications of the supercritical fluid method can be used when a drug has some specific properties, which is an additional benefit in ocular drug delivery.