As a novel ion-exchange carrier with high surface area and excellent exchangeability, montmorillonite (Mt) was intercalated with betaxolol hydrochloride (BH) to form a nanocomposite and then encapsulated by liposomes (Mt-BH-LPs) for an ophthalmic drug-delivery system. The Mt-BH and Mt-BH-LPs were prepared by an acidification process and ethanol injection combined with ammonium sulfate gradient methods. The successful formation of Mt-BH and Mt-BH-LPs was verified by thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectra, and transmission electron microscopy. Mt-BH-LPs possessed the favorable physical characteristics of encapsulation efficiency, drug loading, mean particle size, and ζ-potential. In vitro release studies indicated Mt-BH-LPs effectively maintained a relatively sustained slow release. Immortalized human corneal epithelial cell cytotoxicity, in vivo rabbit eye-irritation tests, and chorioallantoic membrane-trypan blue staining all revealed that Mt-BH-LPs had no obvious irritation on ocular tissues. A new in vitro tear-turnover model, including inserts containing human corneal epithelial cells, was designed to evaluate the precorneal retention time of Mt-BH-LPs. The results showed that Mt-BH-LPs maintained a certain BH concentration in tear fluid for a longer period than the BH solution. In vivo precorneal retention studies also indicated Mt-BH-LPs prolonged drug retention on the ocular surface more than the BH solution. Furthermore, pharmacodynamic studies showed that Mt-BH-LPs had a prolonged effect on decreasing intraocular optical pressure in rabbits. Our results demonstrated that Mt-BH-LPs have potential as an ophthalmic delivery system.
Keywords: intraocular optical pressure; irritation; liposome; montmorillonite; precorneal retention time.