Nanoparticles in thermoreversible gels for enhanced therapeutics

The present invention provides a sustained drug delivery system for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), comprising corticosteroid encapsulated nanoparticles incorporated into a thermoreversible hydrogel. The corticosteroid may be triamcinolone acetate (TA), dexamethasone, or loteprednol etabonate (LE). The proposed drug delivery system is nontoxic to ARPE-19 (retinal pigment epithelium) cells and significantly reduces VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) expression as compared to solutions of the coticosteroids. The present invention provides sustained delivery of the corticosteroid to the posterior segment of the eye, reducing the frequency of intraocular injections necessary to maintain therapeutic concentrations.