@article{Zhou2025, 
author = {Jie Zhou and Shuang Lin and Biting Zhou and Qiongyu He and Wenjun Xie and Dongna Xiao and Yaduan Wang and Xin Zhang and Rui Liu and Qian Yang and Gang Qin and Yihua Zhu and Nanwen Zhang and Juhua Yang and Xiaole Chen},
title = {Dithiolane-based antibody eyedrops for noninvasive treatment of corneal neovascularization},
year = {2025},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {18},
number = {12},
pages = {94907904},
keywords = {corneal neovascularization, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), single-domain antibody, eye drops, thiol-mediated transport pathway, noninvasive treatment},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2025.94907904},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2025.94907904},
abstract = {Intraocular injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibodies is the first-line treatment for ocular neovascular diseases. However, the invasive nature of this administration method often reduces patient compliance and negatively affects treatment outcomes. Noninvasive formulations of anti-VEGF antibody are urgently needed, but their development remains challenging due to the complex ocular barriers. This study identified an anti-VEGF single-domain antibody (sdVE01) that is three times smaller than the commercially available ranibizumab, yet retains a comparable anti-angiogenic effect to the heavy-chain region of ranibizumab (VHHL). Additionally, four dithiolane molecules (DM) were designed to construct DM-based antibody nanoformulations, which effectively penetrate both the anterior and posterior segments of the eye. Upon eyedrop administration, DM-based antibody nanoformulations significantly inhibited the VEGF pathway and reduced neovascularization in a corneal alkali-burn rat model. Notably, the therapeutic effects of the antibody eyedrops were comparable to those of ranibizumab administered via subconjunctival injection. Overall, the dithiolane-based antibody eyedrops represent a promising noninvasive strategy for treating ocular neovascularization diseases.}
}