# In Vitro/Ex Vivo Release Study of a Ground Umbilical Cord Matrix Loaded with Dexamethasone

## TL;DR

A new drug-releasing biomaterial made from umbilical cord can deliver dexamethasone to the eye over 48 hours, improving drug penetration compared to traditional eye drops.

## Contribution

A novel biomaterial from umbilical cord matrix is developed for sustained dexamethasone release in ocular treatment.

## Key findings

- The biomaterial allows progressive dexamethasone release over at least 48 hours.
- Dexamethasone-loaded biomaterial showed better corneal tissue penetration than traditional eye drops.

## Abstract

Eye drops containing steroids and antibiotics are widely used to treat a large range of ocular diseases of the ocular surface. They require frequent instillation or a high dosage, which can affect quality of life. We developed a biomaterial from human umbilical cord that can be loaded with drugs before being placed in the inferior conjunctival fornix. In the present work, this viro-inactivated, freeze-dried, and sterile foam was loaded with dexamethasone phosphate. We studied the release kinetic of 100 mg of biomaterial loaded with 100 µg of dexamethasone phosphate. Assays have shown that the product can be loaded with 100 µg of dexamethasone and allows a progressive release over time for at least 48 h. In addition, when compared with the instillation of the same dexamethasone quantity (100 µg), instilled regularly via eye-drop solution at 0.79 mg/mL, the drug penetration through corneal tissues was better with the dexamethasone-loaded biomaterial.