Multifunctional ROS-responsive hydrogels alleviate subconjunctival inflammation

Abstract

Persistent subconjunctival inflammation poses a significant risk for progression to vision-threatening complications such as fibrosis. Existing pharmacological interventions are limited by their administration constraints and potential bio-toxicity issues, failing to adequately address clinical requirements. There is an urgent need for effective methods to inhibit subconjunctival inflammation. Here, we prepared a multi-network hydrogel (CPES) with reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging properties via a one-step mixing process to suppress early subconjunctival inflammation. Due to its unique crosslinked structure, primarily comprising dynamic borate esters and thioether, CPES exhibits controllable biodegradability and ROS scavenging capacity. Experimental results reveal that CPES hydrogels possess ideal gelation stability, adequate swelling rates, robust self-adaptive and self-repair capabilities, free radical scavenging capacity, good cell compatibility, and inflammation restrain capabilities. In a rat model of subconjunctival injury inflammation, CPES effectively controlled early inflammation. Collectively, these findings establish CPES as a promising therapeutic platform for controlling subconjunctival inflammation.