Nanozyme Eye Drops for Retinal Barrier Penetration and Vasculopathy Repair

Retinal neovascularization diseases cause vision impairment due to abnormal blood vessel growth in the retina. Current treatments, including repeated intraocular anti-VEGF injections, are invasive and often lead to discomfort and complicated hemorrhages. Here, we developed a non-invasive nanozyme eye drop capable of penetrating the fundus to eliminate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thereby inhibit neovascularization. The nanozyme eye drops (FR-PolyRu) consist of liposomes formed by fluorinated and RGD-modified phospholipids, which enhance the penetration of ocular barriers. The encapsulated SOD-CAT cascade nanozyme within these liposomes allows for efficient ROS scavenging. To explore the role of retinal neovascularization at the transcriptional level, we conducted a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of treated mouse retinas using mRNA sequencing (mRNA-seq). The experimental groups consisted of untreated retinas (Normal), oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) treated with PBS (OIR-PBS), and OIR treated with FR-PolyRu eye drops (OIR-FR-PolyRu).