Abstract: 
Ocular bioavailability of drugs from conventional eye drops is very poor due to the physiologic barriers of the eye. In general, ocular efficacy is closely related to ocular drug bioavailability, which may be enhanced by increasing corneal drug penetration and prolonging precorneal drug residence time. Therefore, the present study involves the development, characterization and evaluation of biodegradable moxifloxacin hydrochloride nanoparticles intended for ocular use. Nanoparticles were prepared by nanoprecipitation techniques using Poly D, L-lactide. To optimize the drug formulation, 3² factorial designs was applied. The effect of independent variables such as drug-to-polymer ratio and speed of homogenizers on entrapment efficiency (EE %) and particle size were investigated. Further studies such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy were carried out on the optimized formula. In vitro release study showed extended drug release. DSC and XRD indicated the dispersion of the drug within the nanoparticles. Ocular tolerance was evaluated using hen’s egg chorioallantoic membrane (HET-CAM) test which showed nonirritant efficacy of developed formulation. These results demonstrate the feasibility of encapsulating moxifloxacin hydrochloride biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles for ocular delivery.

Keywords: Moxifloxacin Hydrochloride, Poly D, L-lactide, Nanoparticle, Ocular Drug Delivery.