Effect of nanoencapsulation using poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) on anti-angiogenic activity of bevacizumab for ocular angiogenesis therapy

Antibody-based therapy is an effective strategy for treating ocular angiogenesis. However, short-acting efficacy and poor treatment compliance usually occurs in clinical practices. Thus, it is required to develop a drug delivery system to improve the bioavailability and decrease the toxicity of anti-angiogenic antibody. Bevacizumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In this study, bevacizumab was encapsulated into poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles. PLGA encapsulation could prolong the residency of bevacizumab in the vitreous and aqueous humor and produce long-lasting drug concentrations. Bevacizumab-encapsulated PLGA had no significant cytotoxicity and tissue toxicity effect in vitro and in vivo. In vitro studies showed that bevacizumab-encapsulated PLGA was more effective than bevacizumab in inhibiting VEGF-mediated endothelial cell proliferation, migration and tube formation. In vivo studies showed that bevacizumab-encapsulated PLGA enhanced the anti-angiogenic efficiency of bevacizumab for treating corneal neovascularization and retinal neovascularization. Thus, bevacizumab-encapsulated PLGA could increase the bioavailability and decrease the toxicity of bevacizumab during ocular angiogenesis therapy.