IJCEA 2025 Vol.16(1): 28-35
doi: 10.18178/ijcea.2025.16.1.835
Biodegradable Drug-Eluting Scleral Buckle Implant
Sabina I. Wilkanowicz1,* and Cagri G. Besirli2
1. Faculty of Civil Engineering, Mechanics and Petrochemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Plock, Poland
2. Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Email: sabina.wilkanowicz@pw.edu.pl (S.I.W.); cbesirli@med.umich.edu (C.G.B.)
*Corresponding author
Manuscript received December 3, 2024; accepted January 14, 2025; published April 21, 2025
Abstract—Scleral Buckle (SB) remains a commonly used surgical method for the treatment of Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment (RRD). In this paper, the concept of creating a new SB implant is proposed. Biodegradable poly(lactic acid)-co-poly(glycolic acid) PLA-PGA co-polymer—PLGA was processed via electrospinning to form nanofiber mat, onto which moxifloxacin and dexamethasone were immobilized. Two PLGA materials were tested, with different PLA:PGA ratio—50:50 and 75:25. Chemical composition and implant morphology were analyzed via FTIR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Moreover, drug release from polymeric implant and its degradability were tested.
In 7 days 21.9% and 19.8% of moxifloxacin and dexamethasone were released from PLGA 50:50 and PLGA 75:25 implant samples, respectively. Both PLGA implants degraded in 20 weeks—PLGA 50:50 and PLGA 75:25 with drugs added decomposed. When materials were subjected to stretching, their decomposition was accelerated, allowing the implants to degrade in 14–16 weeks.
Formation via electrospinning of biodegradable polymeric implant, with ability to stretch, release of immobilized chemicals and decomposition over time after scleral buckle healing is a potential alternative for commonly used silicone bands during retinal detachment surgery.
Keywords—electrospinning, scleral buckle, retinal detachment, biodegradable implant, poly(lactide-co-glycolide)
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Cite: Sabina I. Wilkanowicz and Cagri G. Besirli, "Biodegradable Drug-Eluting Scleral Buckle Implant," International Journal of Chemical Engineering and Applications vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 28-35, 2025.
