Microfluidic Fabricated Liposomes for Nutlin-3a Ocular Delivery as Potential Candidate for Proliferative Vitreoretinal Diseases Treatment

Elisabetta Esposito,1 Elena Pozza,2 Catia Contado,1 Walter Pula,1 Olga Bortolini,3 Daniele Ragno,1 Sofia Toldo,3 Fabio Casciano,4 Agnese Bondi,1 Enrico Zauli,2 Paola Secchiero,4 Giorgio Zauli,3 Elisabetta Melloni4 1Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, I-44121, Italy; 2Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, I-44121, Italy; 3Department of Environmental Sciences and Prevention, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, I-44121, Italy; 4Department of Translational Medicine and LTTA Centre, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, I-44121, ItalyCorrespondence: Elisabetta Esposito; Elisabetta Melloni, Tel +39 0532 455230 ; +39 0532 455936, Email ese@unife.it; elisabetta.melloni@unife.itPurpose: Proliferative vitreoretinal diseases (PVDs) represent a heterogeneous group of pathologies characterized by the presence of retinal proliferative membranes, in whose development retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is deeply involved. As the only effective treatment for PVDs at present is surgery, we aimed to investigate the potential therapeutic activity of Nutlin-3a, a small non-genotoxic inhibitor of the MDM2/p53 interaction, on ARPE-19 cell line and on human RPE primary cells, as in vitro models of RPE and, more importantly, to formulate and evaluate Nutlin-3a loaded liposomes designed for ophthalmic administration.Methods: Liposomes were produced using an innovative approach by a microfluidic device under selection of different conditions. Liposome size distribution was evaluated by photon correlation spectroscopy and centrifugal field flow fractionation, while the liposome structure was studied by transmission electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The Nutlin-3a entrapment capacity was evaluated by ultrafiltration and HPLC. Nutlin-3a biological effectiveness as a solution or loaded in liposomes was evaluated by viability, proliferation, apoptosis and migration assays and by morpholo