Devices such as contact lenses and collagen shields have been used to improve the antibiotic bioavailability of eye drops formulations in the treatment of ulcerative keratitis. Nevertheless, these devices are not sustained drug delivery systems, and a combination with eye drops is necessary. In animal patients, it requires constant supervision by trained personnel to avoid device loss, which increases the cost of treatment. In this study, PVA/anionic collagen membranes containing ciprofloxacin or tobramycin were prepared using two different methodologies, and the release, physical and antimicrobial properties were evaluated. The membrane containing ciprofloxacin was selected as a sustained drug delivery system with antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli during 48 h. Despite to be opaque, due to its heterogeneous morphology, this membrane had the adequate mechanical strength, water content, hydrophilicity, water vapor permeability, and surface pH to interact with cornea without causing discomfort. In the surface of this membrane it was observed dispersed collagen fibrils which could serve as a substrate for corneal proteinases, contributing to the reduction in stromal damage and enhancing the epithelium regeneration. These results encourage the idea these membranes are new cost-effective and safe alternatives to treat corneal ulcers in animal patients.

隐形眼镜和胶原蛋白防护罩等装置已被用于提高治疗溃疡性角膜炎的滴眼液制剂的抗生素生物利用度。然而，这些设备不是持续的药物输送系统，需要与滴眼液结合使用。在动物患者中，需要训练有素的人员不断监督以避免设备丢失，这增加了治疗成本。在这项研究中，使用两种不同的方法制备了含有环丙沙星或妥布霉素的 PVA/阴离子胶原膜，并评估了其释放、物理和抗菌性能。选择含有环丙沙星的膜作为对金黄色葡萄球菌和大肠杆菌具有抗菌活性的持续给药系统在 48 小时内。尽管不透明，但由于其异质形态，这种膜具有足够的机械强度、含水量、亲水性、水蒸气渗透性和表面 pH 值，可以与角膜相互作用而不会引起不适。在该膜的表面观察到分散的胶原原纤维，其可作为角膜蛋白酶的底物，有助于减少基质损伤并增强上皮再生。这些结果鼓励了这些膜是治疗动物患者角膜溃疡的新的具有成本效益和安全的替代品的想法。