Sustained heme-albumin release as a potential therapy for dry age-related macular degeneration

Introduction: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) have been implicated in playing a key role in the pathogenesis of dry AMD (dAMD). There is no cure and treatment options require frequent intravitreal injections. To target dAMD and mitigate disease progression, a novel anti-inflammatory heme-bound human serum albumin (heme-albumin) complex was investigated. The objective of this study was to evaluate a redox-responsive polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticle (NP) based drug delivery system for sustained release of heme-albumin in vitro and in vivo.