Disrupting the Oxidative Stress–Inflammation–Corneal Neovascularization Cycle with Ultrasmall Nanoparticles

Corneal neovascularization (CoNV) is a primary contributor to corneal scarring and vision impairment. During its initiation and progression, inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress synergistically trigger a pathological vicious cycle of oxidative stress, inflammation, and angiogenesis, posing a severe therapeutic challenge. In this study, a noninvasive transepithelial therapeutic strategy using ultrasmall polydopamine nanoparticles (UPDA NPs) with triple effects is developed. Their unique small size, approximately 3 nm, greatly enhances their radical-scavenging capability and facilitates superior transepithelial delivery. Extensive research demonstrated that the obtained UPDA NPs possess excellent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-angiogenic properties. By scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), activating the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) antioxidant pathway, and suppressing multiple proangiogenic signaling cascades, they can disrupt the pathological cycle of inflammation, oxidative stress, and neovascularization at molecular, cellular, and animal levels. In an alkali-burned mouse model, UPDA NPs notably reduce CoNV area and length, accelerate corneal repair, and exhibit no local or systemic toxicity, providing a new nanomedicine with translational potential for precise treatment of CoNV.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2026-04-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.73114
Primary Topic
Corneal Surgery and Treatments
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Disrupting the Oxidative Stress–Inflammation–Corneal Neovascularization Cycle with Ultrasmall Nanoparticles

Manli Deng, Jianmin Wu, Xueyu Fu, Xiaomin Huang et al.
Advanced Materials
Corneal Surgery and Treatments
article

Disrupting the Oxidative Stress–Inflammation–Corneal Neovascularization Cycle with Ultrasmall Nanoparticles

Manli Deng, Jianmin Wu, Xueyu Fu, Xiaomin Huang, Zhongxing Chen, Wei Tao, Haochen Liu, Mei Yang, Yue Wu, Zheyu Li, X Y Zhou, Xue Liu, H Pan, Xinyu Jiang, Weiping Wang, Jinhai Huang, Xin Chen, Yi Shao, Mengmei Zhu, Nan Zhao
article en

Abstract

Corneal neovascularization (CoNV) is a primary contributor to corneal scarring and vision impairment. During its initiation and progression, inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress synergistically trigger a pathological vicious cycle of oxidative stress, inflammation, and angiogenesis, posing a severe therapeutic challenge. In this study, a noninvasive transepithelial therapeutic strategy using ultrasmall polydopamine nanoparticles (UPDA NPs) with triple effects is developed. Their unique small size, approximately 3 nm, greatly enhances their radical-scavenging capability and facilitates superior transepithelial delivery. Extensive research demonstrated that the obtained UPDA NPs possess excellent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-angiogenic properties. By scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), activating the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) antioxidant pathway, and suppressing multiple proangiogenic signaling cascades, they can disrupt the pathological cycle of inflammation, oxidative stress, and neovascularization at molecular, cellular, and animal levels. In an alkali-burned mouse model, UPDA NPs notably reduce CoNV area and length, accelerate corneal repair, and exhibit no local or systemic toxicity, providing a new nanomedicine with translational potential for precise treatment of CoNV.

Advanced Materials
Brigham and Women's Hospital (US), University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (CN), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College (CN), Wenzhou Medical University (CN), Affiliated Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College (CN), Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention & Treatment Center (CN), Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University (CN), Shanghai First People's Hospital (CN), Shanghai Clinical Research Center (CN), Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (Czechia) (CZ), University of Hong Kong (HK)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Corneal Surgery and Treatments
DOISourceOpenAlex
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