Design, Characterization and Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of Poloxamer and Kappa-Carrageenan-Based Dual-Responsive In Situ Gel of Nebivolol for Treatment of Open-Angle Glaucoma

This study developed a dual-responsive in situ gel of nebivolol (NEB), a selective β-adrenergic antagonist. The gel could achieve sustained concentrations in the aqueous humor to effectively treat glaucoma. The gel was prepared using a combination of poloxamers (Poloxamer-407 (P407) and Poloxamer-188 (P188)) and kappa-carrageenan (κCRG) as thermo-responsive and ion-sensitive polymers, respectively. Box–Behnken design (BBD) was used to optimize the effect of three critical formulation factors (concentration of P407, P188 and κCRG) on two critical response variables (sol-to-gel transition temperature of 33–35 °C and minimum solution state viscosity) of the in situ gel. A desirability function was employed to find the optimal concentrations of P407, P188 and κCRG that yielded a gel with the desired sol-to-gel transition temperature and solution state viscosity. An NEB-loaded gel was prepared using the optimized conditions and evaluated for in vitro drug release properties and ex vivo ocular irritation studies. Furthermore, ocular pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics studies were conducted in rabbits for the optimized formulation. The optimized NEB-loaded gel containing P407, P188 and κCRG had a sol-to-gel transition temperature of 34 °C and exhibited minimum viscosity (212 ± 2 cP at 25 °C). The optimized NEB-loaded gel sustained drug release with 86% drug release at the end of 24 h. The optimized formulation was well tolerated in the eye. Ocular pharmacokinetic studies revealed that the optimized in situ gel resulted in higher concentrations of NEB in aqueous humor compared to the NEB suspension. The aqueous humor C(max) of the optimized in situ gel (35.14 ± 2.25 ng/mL) was 1.2 fold higher than that of the NEB suspension (28.2 ± 3.1 ng/mL), while the AUC(0–∞) of the optimized in situ gel (381.8 ± 18.32 ng/mL*h) was 2 fold higher than that of the NEB suspension (194.9 ± 12.17 ng/mL*h). The systemic exposure of NEB was significantly reduced for the optimized in situ gel, with a 2.7-fold reduction in the plasma C(max) and a 4.1-fold reduction in the plasma AUC(0–∞) compared with the NEB suspension. The optimized gel produced a higher and sustained reduction in the intra-ocular pressure compared with the NEB suspension. The optimized gel was more effective in treating glaucoma than the NEB suspension due to its mucoadhesive properties, sustained drug release and reduced drug loss. Lower systemic exposure of the optimized gel indicates that the systemic side effects can be significantly reduced compared to the NEB suspension, particularly in the long-term management of glaucoma.