TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hütten, Mareike
A1  - Dhanasingh, Anandhan
A1  - Hessler, Roland
A1  - Stöver, Timo
A1  - Esser, Karl-Heinz
A1  - Möller, Martin
A1  - Lenarz, Thomas
A1  - Jolly, Claude
A1  - Groll, Jürgen
A1  - Scheper, Verena
T1  - In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of a Hydrogel Reservoir as a Continuous Drug Delivery System for Inner Ear Treatment
JF  - PLoS ONE
N2  - Fibrous tissue growth and loss of residual hearing after cochlear implantation can be reduced by application of the glucocorticoid dexamethasone-21-phosphate-disodium-salt (DEX). To date, sustained delivery of this agent to the cochlea using a number of pharmaceutical technologies has not been entirely successful. In this study we examine a novel way of continuous local drug application into the inner ear using a refillable hydrogel functionalized silicone reservoir. A PEG-based hydrogel made of reactive NCO-sP(EO-stat-PO) prepolymers was evaluated as a drug conveying and delivery system in vitro and in vivo. Encapsulating the free form hydrogel into a silicone tube with a small opening for the drug diffusion resulted in delayed drug release but unaffected diffusion of DEX through the gel compared to the free form hydrogel. Additionally, controlled DEX release over several weeks could be demonstrated using the hydrogel filled reservoir. Using a guinea-pig cochlear trauma model the reservoir delivery of DEX significantly protected residual hearing and reduced fibrosis. As well as being used as a device in its own right or in combination with cochlear implants, the hydrogel-filled reservoir represents a new drug delivery system that feasibly could be replenished with therapeutic agents to provide sustained treatment of the inner ear.
KW  - gels
KW  - cochlea
KW  - silicones
KW  - deafness
KW  - inner ear
KW  - drug delivery
KW  - inflammation
KW  - connective tissue
Y1  - 2014
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-119375
VL  - 9
IS  - 8
ER  -