Triamcinolone acetonide loaded-cationic nano-lipoidal formulation for uveitis: Evidences of improved biopharmaceutical performance and anti-inflammatory activity

[Display omitted] •cTA-NLC got access into HCF cells in 2 h and retain there for 24 h.•cTA-NLC showed ∼2-fold increase in corneal permeation than drug suspension.•cTA-NLC has higher anti-inflammatory activity than blank-NLC, and drug suspension.•cTA-NLC is efficacious in uveitis treatment at much lower conc. (0.1 %) of drug. Topical administration of corticosteroids is the cornerstone treatment of anterior uveitis, but poor corneal penetration and retention cause hindrance in their therapeutic utility. The conventional eye drops are less valuable in conditions where inflammation reaches deeper regions of the eye. Therefore, there is a clear need for an effective drug delivery system, which can increase corticosteroid penetration after topical application. To address this, cationic nanostructured lipid carriers of the drug triamcinolone acetonide (cTA-NLC) were prepared. The cTA-NLC were prepared by a hot microemulsion method and evaluated for drug release, permeation, cell uptake, cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory activity and ocular irritancy. The cTA-NLC are nanometric in size (< 200 nm), with a zeta potential of about +35 mv and % drug EE of 88 %. The nanocarriers exhibited slow and sustained release of around 84 % in 24 h and transcorneal drug permeation of 51 % in 8 h. The nanocarriers exhibited no cytotoxicity (% cell viability of>90 %). The cell uptake study showed that nanocarriers could retain inside the cells for 24 h. The developed formulation could significantly reduce the TNF-α level in LPS induced inflamed cells. The studies indicated that cTA-NLC could be a promising option for the topical treatment of uveitis.