Ocular Therapeutics Flashcards
When is the prescribing cascade to be used and who set it out?
To be used when no licensed product for a particular condition in a particular species.
Set out by the VMD (Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013) - all veterinary products must be prescribed in accordance with this.
What does it mean when a product is prescribed under the cascade?
No data or insufficient data have been submitted to the VMD to support the authorisation of the drug, its use according to a different dosing regime to that authorised or for a different indication.
What are the steps of the cascade?
If no licensed product:
1. Medicine with authorisation for use in NI (licensed in NI but not UK) for that condition in that species.
2. Licensed in UK or NI for different condition or same species - veterinary product
3. Human medicine authorised for use in UK or authorised veterinary product from outside UK (may need special import)
4. Extemporaneous preparation by veterinary surgeon, pharmacist or person with manufacturer’s authorisation.
5. In exceptional circumstances human medication imported from outside UK.
What routes of administration are there for ocular drugs?
Topical
Systemic
Subconjunctival injection
Intracameral
Intravitreal
Retrobulbar
Which tissues do topical medications typically reach?
Conjunctiva, cornea, anterior uvea, (eyelids)
What tissues do subconjunctival medications typically reach?
Cornea, anterior uvea
Which tissues do intracameral injections typically reach?
Anterior chamber, (Posterior segment)
Which structures do retrobulbar injections typically reach?
Orbital cranial nerves, posterior segment
What structures do intravitreal injections reach?
Posterior segment
Which structures do systemic medications typically reach?
Eyelids, Posterior segment, optic nerve, anterior uvea
What factors affect drug penetration with topical administration?
Anatomical drug barriers, molecular size of drug, lipid/water solubility, ionisation, penetration enhancers
What anatomical barriers are there to topical ocular drug administration and how can movement occur across this structure? Which type of drugs move best across these routes?
Cornea TRILAMINAR STRUCTURE - anatomical barrier (epithelium, stroma, endothelium)
Movement may occur across cells - TRANSCELLULAR (relates to partition co-efficient of molecules, LIPOPHILIC/UNIONISED DRUGS can pass through phospholipid membrane)
or between cells - PARACELLULAR (zona occludens tight junctions, permeable to small HYDROPHILIC DRUGS/IONIZED)
What is the rate limiting step for hydrophilic compounds through the corneal epithelium?
Epithelial transfer (small ,molecules only through paracellular route)
Which type of molecules does the stroma of the cornea favour and why?
Hydrophilic molecules as 78% water - acts as a barrier to lipophilic molecules.
How thick is the endothelium of the cornea and does it play any role in resistance to topically applied drugs?
Only one cell thick, limited resistance to either lipophilic or hydrophilic drugs
What type of solubility is required to penetrate the cornea? What is the lipid/water partition co-efficient for this?
Intermediate lipid/water solubility.
10:1 to 1000:1 lipid/water partition co-efficient required.
How can we increase corneal penetration?
Buffer solution - adjust pH, level of ionisation dissociation, pre-disposes to lipophilicity and epithelial transfer
Increase concentration/tonicity - increased gradient (short term effect)
Competitive inhibitors - (e.g cetylpyridium) - reduce protein binding to drug in tear film increasing bioavaliability
Epithelial removal for hydrophilic drugs (9x penetration when 25-50% epithelium removed)
By which route is the conjunctiva more permeable than the cornea? Where do the drugs go after they have moved across the conjunctiva?
Paracellular route - no major difference between ionized/unionized drugs
Moves into sclera before entering eye - laterally into corneal stroma (epithelial bypass), anterior ciliary arteries then uvea.
How much more permeable is the sclera compared to the cornea and why? What type of molecules are more permeable. What can enhance permeability of the sclera?
10x more permeable than the cornea due to lack of epithelium. Hydrophilic molecules more permeable than lipophilic. Prostaglandins (inflammation) enhance penetration.
What happens to the vast majority of topically applied drugs? How does this occur and why?
Majority lost within 15-30 seconds of application
Excess of drug - drop of drug 25-75ul
Tear film 7-10uL
Nasolacrimal drainage
Spill over eyelids (especially if increased blinking/e.g blepharospasm)
What is the rate of tear film turnover?
1ul/min - nearly all drugs lost via NL drainage within 10 minutes.
What are the main barriers for systemic drug administration and what do they compose of?
Blood ocular barriers = blood-aqueous and blood-retinal barriers (enothelium and epithelium)
Describe the composition of the blood-aqueous barrier.
Endothelial cells of iris and epithelial cells ciliary body
Describe the composition of the blood-retinal barrier.
Endothelial cells of the retinal vessels, epithelial cells of the RPE
What blocks entry of systemic drugs at the blood-ocular barriers and what can increase penetration?
Tight junctions at these blood-ocular barriers limit the paracellular route
Become leaky in response to prostaglandins - increased permeability with inflammation.
What is the difference between a solution and a suspension?
Solution = drug entirely dissolved in solvent
Suspension = drug particles present in saturated aqueous vehicle that includes dispersing and suspending agents
What are the advantages and disadvantages of solutions/suspensions over ointments?
Ease of administration, minimal visual interference, reduced contact dermatitis, less toxic to anterior segment
Disadvantages - more frequent application due to reduce contact time, nasolacrimal drainage can lead to systemic absorption, non lubricating, readily diluted by tears.
What is the ideal osmolarity of a solution? What does this help reduce. What can help modify osmolarity.
300mosm/kg - as close to tear film osmolarity as possible, helps reduce irritation.
Sodium chloride, boric acid, dextrose can help modify.
What size must the particles be to be in a suspension? What can be some disadvantages of a suspension.
<10um, uniform size and micronised.
Disadvantages - irritation (more likely than solutions), need to mix suspension before use
What 3 things are often used as the base for ointments? What roles do they play?
Petrolatum - ointment base
Mineral oil- allows melting on contact with ocular surface
Lanolin - allow the base to absorb water and mix with tear film.
What benefits/disadvantages are there of using an ointment?
Benefits - larger molecules and longer retention times, less frequent administration (retained at least 4hrs), little effect on corneal healing, lubricating.
Disadvantages - can be associated with ocular/periocular dermatitis, avoid in perforated eyes as base toxic to corneal endothelium, visual interference
How can we improve ocular bioavailability via precorneal retention?
Ointment formulation
Viscosity enhancing polymers and mucoadhesives - cellulose derivatives and polyvinyl alcohol. Maximum bioavailability at 12-15cps - any more than this then increased risk of irritation. Enhance attachment to the mucin layer of the tear film. Sodium hyluoronate an example as similar to ocular mucus glycoprotein.
Colloidal drug delivery system - sustained drug delivery to eye and includes liposome, nanoparticles and microemulsions
Liposome = small vesicles composed of phospholipid bilayers separated by aqueous = lipophilic drugs trapped between phospholipids in aqueous compartment
Nanoparticles = polymeric colloidal particles in or on which drugs entrapped
Microemulsions = useful for delivery of water-insoluble drugs.
Solid polymeric devices - soft contact lenses of non biodegradable hydrophilic polymers which absorb drug when soaked in drug solution. Contact lens then applied over cornea and slowly releases drug. Corneal collagen shields. Lacrimal punctal plugs for more long standing drug delivery or subconjunctival implants e.g ciclosporin implants.
Why are preservatives used and what are possible toxic effects of these.
Preservatives e.g benzalkonium chloride used to inhibit microbial growth
Potential s/e - disrupt corneal epithelial healing, tear film disruption, inflammatory infiltrates at limbus/trabecular meshwork, discomfort, corneal endothelial toxicity.
How can drugs applied topically onto the ocular surface end up systemically?
How can we reduce this?
Nasolacrimal drainage (transmucosally or swallowed)
Conjunctival/episcleral vessels
Licking off face following spillover
Nasolacrimal occlusion can reduce and eyelid closure can reduce loss of drug and increase contact time.
How can we improve corneal penetration of drugs?
Ophthalmic prodrugs - for hydrophilic drugs which cannot transverse corneal epithelium a pro-drug may be considered, tend to be lipophilic esters or diesters (inactive versions of parent drug) Once across corneal epithelium enzymatic hydrolysis occurs to release active drug. Examples - prednisolone acetate (prodrug of prednisolone), nepafenac (prodrug to amfenac) and latanoprost/travoprost (prodrugs to PGF2a)
Penetration enhancers - EDTA or benzalkonium chloride - disrupt biological membranes - alter membrane permeability and expand transcellular route.
For intraocular drug distribution when does peak aqueous humour concentration occur - what structures have good/poor penetration?
0.5-3hr = peak AH concentration
Iris = good penetration with large surface area
Lens = poor due to anterior epithelium, dense lens fibres, limited to lipophilic drugs
How are drugs that penetrate the intraocular structures eliminated?
Melanin binding - iris and ciliary body - drug sink immediately reducing bioavailability slowing onset of action. e.g atropine faster onset in non pigmented eyes compared to pigmented but will have longer duration of action in pigmented eyes.
AH outflow - 5ul/min
Retinal blood flow
Metabolism within the ocular tissues
What are some of the indications for subconjunctival injections? How long do solutions last vs suspensions via this route.
Inflammation/infection of anterior segment or cornea
Potentially useful for posterior segment
Owner/patient compliance factor
Hydrophilic drugs for epithelial bypass
Solutions 8-12hrs duration
Suspensions 2-3 weeks but risk of granuloma formation.
What modes of penetration occur with subconjunctival injections and when are they typically used?
Absorption via conjunctival vessels = systemic
Diffuse across scleral/corneal stroma
Leak via injection site and absorb via cornea.
Typically used post cataract surgery -
When do we typically perform retrobulbar injections - what do we inject and what are the risks/complications?
Local anaesthesia for enucleations
Bupivicaine 0.5% (slower onset 5-10 min, longer duration 4-8hrs) or Lidocaine 0.2% (fast acting 2-5 mins, short duration 2-3hrs)
Curved retrobulbar needle - inferior transpalpebral approach
Risks - globe perforation, brainstem anaesthesia (intra-thecal administration), haemorrhage
When are intracameral injections typically performed and what are the risks involved with this?
Used during cataract surgery - tissue plasminogen activator, triamcinolone, carbachol, adrenaline, lidocaine
Injection across corneoscleral limbus (0.1-0.8mls, same amount removed to prevent raised IOP)
Risk - traumatic injury to iris/lens, intraocular haemorrhage, injury to cornea, toxicity
When may we use intra-vitreal injections and what are the risks.
Vitreous - avascular hydrogel, drug delivery to this region often low due to aqueous humour washout and poor penetration of blood vessels (blood-ocular barriers)
Indications = posterior segment inflammation/infection but very rarely used
Risks - haemorrhage, endophthlamitis, lens damage, retinal detachment
Potentially used for chemical ablation of ciliary body - gentamicin, cidofovir.
What indication are there for systemic administration of drugs in ocular diseases?
Eyelid disease, orbital disease, posterior segment disease.
What factors influence penetration of the blood-ocular barriers?
Lipophilicity, molecular weight, plasma drug levels, inflammation.
List the mechanisms of action antimicrobials can have - what do the exploit?
Exploit differences in structure and function between microbes and mammalian cells.
Bacterial cell wall (absent in mammals) - petidoglycan = essential component
Bacterial cell membrane - similarities to mammalian cell membrane (risk of toxicity)
Bacterial ribosome = different shape/structure to mammalian cell ribosome
Bacterial folic acid synthesis - bacteria make their own and mammals do not
Bacterial DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV
What are the most common types of flora in dog eyes?
Gram +ve aerobes - staphylococcus and streptococcus but also rods such as bacillus and corynebacterium.
Grame -ve such as Neisseria cocci or pseudomonas are less common and anaerobes are rarely isolated.
In dogs with complicated corneal ulcers (infective or septic keratitis) how is the conjunctival flora altered?
Infective/septic keratitis (melting ulcers) - gram -ve more likely to be isolated - pseudomonas
Anaerobic bacteria - e.g clostridium also more likely to be seen in septic keratitis cases.
(Can still see streptococcus/staphylococcus so culture always indicated in these cases)
Which type of bacteria is commonly seen in the flora of healthy cats eyes?
What types are seen with complicated corneal ulceration?
Gram +ve aerobes - staphylococcus
Occasionally gram -ve moraxella
Complicated corneal ulcers - gram -ve more likely - pseudomonas
Occasionally anaerobic.
What type of bacteria is commonly seen in the flora of healthy rabbit eyes?
Gram +ve aerobes - corynebacterium, staphylococcus, micrococcus, bacillus
Gram -ve - pasteurella, moraxella
Which antibiotic groups inhibit bacterial cell wall synthesis?
Penicillins
Cephalosporins
Bacitracin
Are penicillins bactericidal or static? What is their key feature and what does this prevent?
When may penicillins be used in ophthalmology?
Bactericidal - Gram +ve activity (ampicillin/amoxicillin - some gram -ve range)
Thiazolidine ring.
B lactam ring - binds to bacterial tranpeptidases required for formation of peptide cross linkages between polysaccharide chains of peptidoglycan. - incomplete cell wall formation and bacterial death.
Indications:
Prophylactically after intraocular surgery/during cataract surgery
Treatment of orbital or eyelid infections
?Chlamydial conjunctivitis in cats
Rarely used topically in small animals as cloxacillin too narrow range for eye infections.
Are cephalosporins bactericidal or static? What is their mode of action.
List some uses for them in ophthalmology?
Bactericidal - excellent gram +ve activity
Similar to penicillins but different molecular structure
Dihydrothiazine ring
B lactam ring with side chain
Resistant to B lactamases produced by staph.aureus
Some gram -ve’s are resistant
1st generation - cephalexin/cefazolin
2nd generation - cefuroxime, cefoxitin
3rd generation - cefixime, cefoxatime, ceftazidime
4th generation - cefepime
Increase in gram -ve activity with each generation.
Rarely any indication to use anything but 1st generation in veterinary ophthalmology.
Indications:
Cefazolin - off licence for corneal ulcers infected with gram +ve organisms. Reaches therapeutic concentrations in anterior chamber - good choice for intraocular surgery
Cephalexin - good choice for staphylococcal eyelid infections
Is bacitracin bacteriocidal or static?
What is its mode of action and when is it indicated in veterinary ophthalmology?
Bacteriocidal
Inhibits the movement of the precursor to bacterial petidoglycan across bacterial cell membrane thus inhibiting bacterial cell wall synthesis.
Gram +ve with little gram -ve activity
Usually combined with other drugs - neomycin/polymyxin B to provide wider spectrum of activity.
Poor corneal penetration - not useful for intraocular infections
Not used systemically
Indications:
“Triple” AB formulation with polymyxin B/neomycin - prophylactically for uncomplicated corneal ulcers/therapeutically for non specific ocular surface infections.
Hypersensitivity reaction is potential s/e - often ointment.
Which antimicrobials affect bacterial cell membranes?
Why are these not used systemically?
Polymyxin B
Gramicidin
Not used systemically due to similarity between mammalian cell membranes and bacterial cell membranes - high risk of toxicity.
Is Polymyxin B bactericidal or static?
What is it’s mode of action and what indications are there for its use?
Bactericidal
Surfactant that interacts with phospholipids of cell membrane altering cell membrane permeability leading to cell death.
Reasonable gram -ve activity (including pseudomonas) and is used topically on combination with drugs with gram +ve activity (bacitracin)
Side effects - nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity (when used systemically) and local hypersensitivity when used topically.
Is gramicidin bactericidal or static? What is its mode of action? When may it be used?
Bactericidal
Gram +ve activity
Stable in solution and acts as ionophore.
Disrupts bacterial cell membrane
Often combined in place of bacitracin with drugs with gram -ve activity e.g polymyxin B/neomycin in topical preparations.
Which antimicrobials prevent bacterial protein synthesis?
What do they bind to in order to do this?
Aminoglycosides
Tetracyclines
Macrolides
Lincosamides
Chloramphenicol
Fusidic acid
Bind to 30S or 50S subunits of ribosomes.
Are aminoglycosides bactericidal or static?
What indications are there for their use in ophthalmology?
Bactericidal
Inhibit the 30S subunit of ribosomes
Excellent gram -ve activity (although neomycin generally inactive against pseudomonas)
Gram +ve activity limited to staphylococcus and inactive agains anaerobes.
Synergistic activity when given with B lactams but must be given separately otherwise may be inactivated.
Poorly absorbed when given orally so used topically or IV.
Neomycin - triple AB preparations (not in UK) - for prophylaxis/treatment of uncomplicated ulcers.
UK part of maxitrol with dexamethason and polymxycin B
Gentamicin - topical or subconjunctival injection to treat infectious keratitis particularly caused by pseudomonas (can be resistant to fluoroquinolones)
Tiacil = licensed
Subconjunctival injections may lead to therapeutic concentrations in anterior chamber but also s/e - can be epitheliotoxic
Tobramycin - similar activity/indications as gentamicin. Often combined with steroid as topical suspension (tobradex) - bacterial ulcers caused by pseudomonas strains resistant to gentamicin.
Amikacin - not avaliable as topical product but can be compounded. May also be injected subconjunctivally to reach intraocular concentration. Less retinotoxic than other aminoglycosides so may be used for endophthalmitis.
Are tetracyclines bacteriostatic or bactericidal?
What is their mode of action?
What indications are there for their use?
Bacteriostatic
Interact with 30s subunit of bacterial ribosome
Tetracycline/oxytetracycline = short acting
Doxycycline = long acting
Good activity against mycoplasma, chlamydophila, rickettsia and moraxella
Resistance common with staphs, streps and pseuodomonas.
Concentrate in cornea and lacrimal gland and may have beneficial ocular surface effects by number of actions - chelation of cations, inhibition of gene expression, inhibition of antitrypisin degredation and inhibition of leucotaxis.
Indications:
Cats - doxycycline systemically for chlamydophila/mycoplasma conjunctivitis
Chlortetracycline ointment avaliable (ophthocycline) - ocular surface infections
?melting corneal ulcers - anti-collagenase properties
?SCCED management
Side effects - tooth enamel discolouration, oesophagitis (always give with food/water to encourage to swallow and prevent oeosphageal stricture)
Are macrolides bactericidal or static? What is their mode of action?
When may they be used in ophthalmology?
Bacteriostatic
Inhibit 50s subunit of ribosome
Examples - erythromycin, azithromycin and clarithromycin
Mainly used sytemically
Gram +ve activity - accumulate intracellularly
Indications:
Azithromycin - bartonella/chlamydophila but lower efficacy than doxycycline
Are lincosamides bactericidal or static? What mode of action do they have?
Indications for use in opthalmology?
Bacteriostatic
Bind to 50s subunit of ribsome
Clindamycin most commonly used of this class
Prescribed orally - toxoplasma gondii
Good for anaerobes
Is chloramphenicol bactericidal or bacteriostatic?
Mode of action?
Indications for use in ophthalmology?
Bacteriostatic
Binds to 50s subunit of ribosomes inhibiting protein synthesis
Broad spectrum activity - gram +ve and -ve bacteria with efficacy also against rickettsia, chlamydophila and mycoplasma.
Pseudomonas are resistant.
Not used systemically as serious risk of bone marrow suppression.
Available as 0.5% solution or 1% ointment
Susceptible to thermal breakdown so must be kept in fridge
Indications:
Prophylactically - 1st line for uncomplicated corneal ulcers, after ocular surface/intraocular surgery
Therapeutically - non specific conjunctivitis, chlamydial/mycoplasma conjunctivitis
Excellent corneal penetration as high lipophilicity.
Is fusidic acid bacteriostatic or cidal?
Mode of action?
Indications for use in ophthalmology?
Bacteriostatic (cidal at high concentrations)
Prevents turnover of elongation factor G from bacterial ribosome. `
Primarily effective against gram +ve
Isathal - licensed for conjunctivitis but not ulceration
Indications:
Prophylaxis - uncomplicated corneal ulcers and ocular surface infections caused by gram +ve bacteria (no good for common feline pathogens chlamydophila/mycoplasma)
Therapeutic - non specific conjunctivitis
Lubricating due to carbomer 980 base.
Which drugs alter folic acid synthesis and are they bacteriostatic or cidal?
What is their mode of action?
Indications for use in ophthalmology?
Sulphonamides
Trimethoprim
Bacteriostatic
Often sulphonamides and trimethoprim combined as they are synergistic and inhibit different steps of folate synthesis.
Good gram +ve activity but variable gram -ve.
Poor intraocular penetration when given systemically.
S/E - blood dyscrasia, nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity
Can cause KCS due to toxic effect on lacrimal acinar cells when used systemically.
Indication for use - orbital infections