{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,23]],"date-time":"2026-04-23T22:20:14Z","timestamp":1776982814608,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,15]],"date-time":"2021-02-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1613347200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pharmaceutics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The visual impairment that often leads to blindness causes a higher morbidity rate. The goal of this work is to create a novel biodegradable polymeric implant obtained from coaxial fibers containing the dispersed drug\u2014acetazolamide\u2014in order to achieve sustained drug release and increase patient compliance, which is of the highest importance. Firstly, during this work, uncoated implants were produced by electrospinning, and rolled in the shape of small cylinders that were composed of uniaxial and coaxial fibers with immobilized drug inside. The fibers were composed by PCL (poly \u03b5-caprolactone) and Lutrol F127 (poly (oxyethylene-b-oxypropylene-b-oxyethylene)). The prepared implants exhibited a fast rate of drug release, which led to the preparation of new implants incorporating the same formulation but with an additional coating film prepared by solvent casting and comprising PCL and Lutrol F127 or PCL and Luwax EVA 3 ((poly (ethylene-co-vinyl acetate)). Implants were characterized and in vitro release profiles of acetazolamide were obtained in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at 37 \u00b0C. The release profile of the acetazolamide from coated implant containing Luwax EVA 3 is considerably slower than what was observed in case of coated implants containing Lutrol F127, allowing a sustained release and an innovation relatively to other ocular drug delivery systems.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pharmaceutics13020260","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,15]],"date-time":"2021-02-15T05:52:49Z","timestamp":1613368369000},"page":"260","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["Comparative Analysis of Morphological and Release Profiles in Ocular Implants of Acetazolamide Prepared by Electrospinning"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Mariana","family":"Morais","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy of University Coimbra, P\u00f3lo das Ci\u00eancias da Sa\u00fade, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Patr\u00edcia","family":"Coimbra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Engineering, University Coimbra, CIEPQPF, Rua S\u00edlvio Lima, P\u00f3lo II\u2014Pinhal de Marrocos, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"FFUC, P\u00f3lo das Ci\u00eancias da Sa\u00fade, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, University Coimbra, CIEPQPF, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0189-1370","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Eug\u00e9nia","family":"Pina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy of University Coimbra, P\u00f3lo das Ci\u00eancias da Sa\u00fade, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"FFUC, P\u00f3lo das Ci\u00eancias da Sa\u00fade, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, University Coimbra, CIEPQPF, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e888","DOI":"10.1016\/S2214-109X(17)30293-0","article-title":"Magnitude, temporal trends, and projections of the global prevalence of blindness and distance and near vision impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"5","author":"Bourne","year":"2017","journal-title":"Lancet Glob. 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