A Viscoelastic Supramolecular Hydrogel Co-Assembled from Gatifloxacin and Deoxyguanosine for the Treatment of Bacterial Keratitis

Abstract

Bacterial keratitis is the most prevalent ocular surface infection, causing significant inconvenience to patients’ lives and posing a risk of blindness if mismanaged. The application of antibiotic gels has been a principal clinic therapeutic intervention due to the retarded ocular surface medication retention. However, current clinical gel formulations rely on high viscosity polymer matrices to improve retention, which often results in uneven gel layers, causing sticky sensation and prone to adhesion to periocular tissues during blinking, leading to clearance. In this study, we propose a supramolecular hydrogel assembled from antibiotic and natural nucleotide molecules with viscoelastic rheology and low cohesion texture. These features enabled it spread to uniformly on the ocular surface, recover deformation after blinking, and are less likely to adhere to periocular tissues, significantly improving drug retention on the ocular surface and achieving better therapeutic effects in the treatment of bacterial keratitis. Additionally, the hydrogel is easy to prepare, has good visibility and safety, offering a new strategy for the development of ophthalmic gels.