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. 2011 Aug 9;52(9):6286-91.
doi: 10.1167/iovs.10-6935.

A prototype antifungal contact lens

Joseph B Ciolino  1 , Sarah P Hudson, Ashley N Mobbs, Todd R Hoare, Naomi G Iwata, Gerald R Fink, Daniel S Kohane
Affiliations

A prototype antifungal contact lens

Joseph B Ciolino et al. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. .

Abstract

Purpose: To design a contact lens to treat and prevent fungal ocular infections.

Methods: Curved contact lenses were created by encapsulating econazole-impregnated poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) films in poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) by ultraviolet photopolymerization. Release studies were conducted in phosphate-buffered saline at 37°C with continuous shaking. The contact lenses and their release media were tested in an antifungal assay against Candida albicans. Cross sections of the pre- and postrelease contact lenses were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and by Raman spectroscopy.

Results: Econazole-eluting contact lenses provided extended antifungal activity against Candida albicans fungi. Fungicidal activity varied in duration and effectiveness depending on the mass of the econazole-PLGA film encapsulated in the contact lens.

Conclusions: An econazole-eluting contact lens could be used as a treatment for fungal ocular infections.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Left: Photograph of prototype contact lens containing an econazole-PLGA film with a surface area of 180 mm2. Note the clear optical axis. Right: schematic of prototype antifungal contact lens.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Antifungal activity of YNB media containing econazole eluted from drug-containing contact lenses. Data are the mean ± SD. n = 4.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
C. albicans killed by direct exposure to the econazole-containing contact lenses. Data are the mean ± SD. n = 4.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Scanning electron and photomicrographs of econazole-PLGA films within pHEMA hydrogels before and after 10 days of drug release. Magnification: top left, ×190; top right, 430× magnification.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Raman spectra of econazole, a pHEMA film, a PLGA film, and a contact lens containing an econazole-PLGA film (PLGA16) before and after 10 days of drug release. Top: shift from 0 to 3300 cm−1. Zoom of the Raman spectra (bottom, 180–550 cm−1) demonstrated multiple peaks (423, 391, and 244 cm−1) in the contact lens that were indicative of econazole.
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