Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

1-1-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.S. in Pharmaceutical Science

First Advisor

Soumyajit Majumdar

Second Advisor

Michael A. Repka

Third Advisor

Dr. Walter Chambliss

School

University of Mississippi

Relational Format

dissertation/thesis

Abstract

Glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness globally, is a neurodegenerative disease marked by progressive death of the retinal ganglion cells in the eye. In 2018, FDA approved a 0.02% ophthalmic solution of netarsudil mesylate (NM), Rhopressa®, a rho kinase inhibitor, for the reduction of intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension; the first new drug class in more than two decades. Cannabidiol (CBD) has been studied for its effects on intraocular pressure since the 1980s. In 2022, a study established that topical administration of CBD (1% w/v) decreased the intraocular pressure in pigmented Dutch Belted Rabbits. This work aims to prepare a combination formulation of netarsudil mesylate and cannabidiol with an eventual goal of studying its effect on the IOP in animal models. NM-CBD nanoemulsions (NEs) F1 and F2 were prepared in sesame oil and stabilized with Tween® 80 and Poloxamer 407 NF, while NEs F3 and F4 were prepared in Super Refined™ sesame oil and stabilized with Gelucire® 50/13. The NEs studied for stability under the refrigerated condition of 4 ± 2° C, and elevated storage conditions of 25 ± 2° C, and 40 ± 2° C. F1 and F2 showed a good droplet size (DS) of 160-171 nm, and polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.168-0.234, but showed drug contents of less than 58% w/v for NM, after 30 days, at all storage temperatures. On the other hand, F3 and F4 showed good droplet sizes of 96-109 nm, and PDIs of 0.225-0.517, but only F3 remained stable with respect to the drug content of NM and CBD. The results indicate that sesame oil-Gelucire® 50/13-based NEs need further optimization as a vehicle for the combination of NM and CBD.

Available for download on Saturday, September 13, 2025

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