• Mengshuang Li, Meng Xin, Kaichao Song, Fengyuan Sun, Yuzhen Hou, Jun Li, and Xianggen Wu.
• a Department of Pharmacy , College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology , Qingdao China.
• Curr. Eye Res. 2018 Mar 1; 43 (3): 406-414.

AbstractPurpose How to deliver enough medical agents to the trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons conveniently still remains a challenge in pharmaceutics and clinics. The purpose of this study was to reveal that intranasal administration of polyvinyl caprolactam-polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene glycol graft copolymer (PVCL-PVA-PEG) nanomicelle formulation could efficiently deliver agent to TG neurons in mice. Methods Ocular topical or intranasal administration of nanomicelle coumarin-6 was performed in mice, and tissue distribution after administration (0.25, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 h) was analyzed. Fluoro-Gold was used as a retrograde tracer to identify corneal and nasal neurons in the TG. Pharmacokinetic profiles after ocular topical or intranasal administration were explored in detail. Results Coumarin-6 levels in the TG neurons were significantly higher in intranasal administration groups than in topical administration groups, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05) at all time points except for 10 h. Interestingly, in cornea, coumarin-6 was detected after intranasal administration. For intranasal administration groups, it was also interestingly found that coumarin-6 levels in the TG neurons were much higher than that in the brain, suggesting that the TG neurons was a target tissue after the intranasal administration of nanomicelle coumarin-6. These levels also indicated the safety of brain tissue after intranasal administration. Using Fluoro-Gold tract tracing techniques, coumarin-6 was detected in TG neurons after either ocular topical or intranasal administration of nanomicelle coumarin-6, indicating the high colocalization of corneal and nasal neurons in the TG. Conclusions Intranasal administration of PVCL-PVA-PEG nanomicelle formulation could efficiently deliver to TG neurons, and it might be a promising therapy for pathological TG neurons.

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