Inner ear drug delivery system from the clinical point of view.

CONCLUSION

Three types of inner ear drug delivery systems (DDS) that were ready to be applied in clinics were developed.

OBJECTIVES

To develop clinically applicable inner ear DDS for the treatment of inner ear disorders.

METHODS

Inner ear DDS using clinically applicable materials were developed and evaluated.

RESULTS

The systemic application of stealth-type nanoparticles encapsulating betamethasone provided superior therapeutic results for the treatment of noise-induced hearing loss compared with the systemic application of betamethasone in mice. Microparticles made of biodegradable polymer (poly (lactic/glycolic) acid, PLGA) encapsulating lidocaine were placed on the round window membrane of guinea pigs, and resulted in reasonable concentrations of lidocaine in the cochlea without serious adverse effects. The phase I/IIa clinical trial of the application of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in combination with gelatin hydrogel on the round window membrane was conducted, recruiting patients with acute sensorineural hearing loss after the failure of systemic application of steroids.