Angiotensin (1-7)-based Proteomimetic Polymers as Topicals for the Remediation and Repair of the Cornea following Injury
- 1Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
Abstract
The cornea is the outermost layer of the eye, most vulnerable to injury including from chemical exposure, either environmental, industrial or chemical weapons. For example, exposure of the eye to sulfur mustard (SM) can cause mustard gas keratopathy, resulting in devastating consequences for vision. Available treatments for corneal mustard keratopathy are either ineffective, or if used for a prolonged time, have deleterious side effects. Here, we aimed to harness the anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic peptide angiotensin-(1-7), known as Ang-(1-7), that is derived from the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). We designed and developed a protein-like polymer (PLP) displaying a brush of norleucine modified Ang (1-7) peptides (NLE Ang (1-7) PLP), which is a more potent derivative of Ang-(1-7), for administration as an eye drop. In a mouse model of nitrogen mustard (NM)-induced corneal injury, topical treatment and intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of NLE Ang (1-7) PLP persistently minimized: (i) corneal haze; (ii) edema; (iii), expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic genes; and (iv) neovascularization and conjunctivalization as evidenced after a prolonged treatment and recovery period. Collectively, our observations have demonstrated the efficacy of this novel polymer proteomimetic based eye drop treatment in reducing chemical agent-induced corneal injury as well as indicating its potential application in other ocular surface diseases associated with inflammation and angiogenesis.
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BibTeX
@misc{foroozandeh2026angiotensin,
title = {{Angiotensin (1-7)-based Proteomimetic Polymers as Topicals for the Remediation and Repair of the Cornea following Injury}},
author = {P. Foroozandeh and A. K. Nensel and X. Qi and J. Marks and N. Kaplan and S. Park and X. Chen and A. Fischer and M. Telesforo and R. M. Lavker and N. C. Gianneschi and H. Peng},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.30.755738},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.30.755738v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Angiotensin (1-7)-based Proteomimetic Polymers as Topicals for the Remediation and Repair of the Cornea following Injury
AU - P. Foroozandeh
AU - A. K. Nensel
AU - X. Qi
AU - J. Marks
AU - N. Kaplan
AU - S. Park
AU - X. Chen
AU - A. Fischer
AU - M. Telesforo
AU - R. M. Lavker
AU - N. C. Gianneschi
AU - H. Peng
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.30.755738
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.30.755738v1
AB - The cornea is the outermost layer of the eye, most vulnerable to injury including from chemical exposure, either environmental, industrial or chemical weapons. For example, exposure of the eye to sulfur mustard (SM) can cause mustard gas keratopathy, resulting in devastating consequences for vision. Available treatments for corneal mustard keratopathy are either ineffective, or if used for a prolonged time, have deleterious side effects. Here, we aimed to harness the anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic peptide angiotensin-(1-7), known as Ang-(1-7), that is derived from the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). We designed and developed a protein-like polymer (PLP) displaying a brush of norleucine modified Ang (1-7) peptides (NLE Ang (1-7) PLP), which is a more potent derivative of Ang-(1-7), for administration as an eye drop. In a mouse model of nitrogen mustard (NM)-induced corneal injury, topical treatment and intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of NLE Ang (1-7) PLP persistently minimized: (i) corneal haze; (ii) edema; (iii), expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic genes; and (iv) neovascularization and conjunctivalization as evidenced after a prolonged treatment and recovery period. Collectively, our observations have demonstrated the efficacy of this novel polymer proteomimetic based eye drop treatment in reducing chemical agent-induced corneal injury as well as indicating its potential application in other ocular surface diseases associated with inflammation and angiogenesis.
ER -