Development of antibacterial injectable hydrogels for keratitis treatmentOA

Keratitis is a leading cause of vision loss that poses significant challenges to current treatment approaches due to its high incidence rate,increasing antibiotic resistance,and complex clinical management.Injectable hydrogels represent a highly promising drug delivery system for keratitis treatment owing to their excellent biocompatibility,high drug-loading capacity,and controllable release kinetics.In addition,their ability to conform to irregular ocular surfaces allows for more effective and sustained drug residence at the infection site.This review explores the application of antibacterial injectable hydrogels in the management of keratitis,with a focus on their classification,antibacterial mechanisms,drug release behavior,and recent advances in preclinical studies.Recent reports further highlight their potential to reduce dosing frequency and enhance therapeutic precision through localized delivery.Furthermore,it provides a critical analysis of current research limitations and offers perspectives on future directions,including the development of novel hydrogel materials,improvement in drug release profile,and the integration of multimodal antibacterial strategies.Existing studies have demonstrated that hydrogels can significantly enhance drug bioavailability and offer innovative strategies to combat antibiotic resistance.Together,these advantages suggest that injectable hydrogels may serve as a valuable complement to traditional ophthalmic therapies in the future.These findings underscore the substantial potential of antibacterial injectable hydrogels in addressing keratitis and mitigating drug-resistant bacterial infections.