Design and evaluation of baicalin-containing in situ pH-triggered gelling system for sustained ophthalmic drug delivery

Baicalin has been reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cataract effects on eye tissues, but it has a low bioavailability partly due to its poor stability of baicalin, the special anatomic structure and efficient protective mechanism of eyes. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the stability of baicalin and in situ pH-triggered gelling system. Carbopol® 974P (0.3%, w/v) was used as the gelling agent combined with hydroxypropylmethylcellulose E4M (0.6%, w/v) which acted as a viscosity enhancing agent. In vitro and in vivo evaluations were performed using several techniques, namely confocal scanning light microscopy analysis, rheometry, Gamma scintigraphic technique and microdialysis method. The rheological behavior showed a significant enhancement in gel strength under physiological conditions, and the formulation provided sustained release of the drug over an 8-h period. In elimination studies, the radioactivity of formulation was always higher than that of the control solution. Additionally, the AUC and Cmax values were 6.1-fold and 3.6-fold higher than those of the control solution, respectively. The results demonstrated that an in situ pH-triggered gelling system have better ability to keep baicalin stable and retain drug release than marketed baicalin eye drops to enhance the ocular bioavailability.

Graphical abstractCSLM micrograph of FITC-labeled in situ pH-triggered gelling system. (A) In situ gelling system under pH 5.8, (B) After instilled distilled water and (C) After instilled 0.2 M NaOH and adjusted pH to 6.8.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide