European journal of pharmaceutical sciences : official journal of the European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Treatment of posterior uveitis via topical route is desirable but cannot be achieved by conventional drug delivery strategies. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop a topical nanomicellar formulation of an immunosuppressant drug, everolimus using Soluplus®, a grafted copolymer of polyvinyl caprolactam-polyvinylalcohol-polyethyleneglycol (PVCL-PVA-PEG) for improved permeation through ocular epithelia with minimal or no irritation resulting in enhanced ocular bioavailability at the posterior segments of the eye for the treatment of uveitis. Soluplus-everolimus nano micelles were found to have a low CMC (7.2 µg/ml) and 65.55 nm in size. ⋯ The everolimus nanomicelles showed significantly higher permeation across goat cornea than everolimus suspension (p<0.001). CLSM of prepared nanomicelles confirmed the deeper permeation through the goat cornea. These results indicated the significantly higher accessibility and improved drug bioavailability thus, everolimus nanomicelles could be considered a promising topical drug delivery nanocarrier for treating uveitis.