Use of lipid conjugates in the treatment of diseases or disorders of the eye

1. A method of treating a disease or disorder of the eye in a subject comprising the step of contacting said subject with a compound comprising a lipid or phospholipid moiety bound optionally via a spacer to a physiologically acceptable monomer, dimer, oligomer, or polymer via an ester or amide bond, and/or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or a pharmaceutical product thereof, wherein the compound is represented by the structure of the general formula (A):

wherein

L is a lipid or a phospholipid;

Z is either nothing, ethanolamine, serine, inositol, choline, phosphate, or glycerol;

Y is either nothing or a spacer group ranging in length from 2 to 30 atoms;

X is polygeline or polypyranose; and

n is a number from 2 to 1000;

wherein any bond between L, Z, Y and X is either an amide or an esteric bond and the disease or disorder of the eye is retinopathy, glaucoma, macular degeneration or retinal detachment.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said retinopathy is diabetic retinopathy, or solar retinopathy.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said phospholipid moiety is phosphatidylethanolamine.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein said phosphatidylethanolamine is dipalmitoyl phosphatidylethanolamine.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein said phosphatidylethanolamine is dimyristoyl phosphatidylethanolamine.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said polypyranose is carboxymethylcellulose.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said polypyranose is alginate.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said polypyranose is hydroxyethyl starch.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein L is phosphatidyl, Z is ethanolamine, Y is nothing, and X is carboxymethylcellulose or a glycosaminoglycan.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the phosphatidylethanolamine moiety is dipalmitoyl or dimyristoyl phosphatidylethanolamine.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the phospholipid is phosphatidic acid, monoacylglycerol, diacylgelycerol, triacylglycerol, sphingosine, sphingomyelin, chondroitin-4-sulfate, chondroitin-6-sulfate, ceramide, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, or phosphatidylglycerol.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said compound is represented by the structure of the general formula (I):

wherein

R 1 is a linear, saturated, mono-unsaturated, or poly-unsaturated, alkyl chain ranging in length from 2 to 30 carbon atoms;

R 2 is a linear, saturated, mono-unsaturated, or poly-unsaturated, alkyl chain ranging in length from 2 to 30 carbon atoms; and

Y is either nothing or a spacer group ranging in length from 2 to 30 atoms;

X is polygeline; and

n is a number from 2 to 1000.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said compound is represented by the structure of the general formula (I):

wherein

R 1 is a linear, saturated, mono-unsaturated, or poly-unsaturated, alkyl chain ranging in length from 2 to 30 carbon atoms;

R 2 is a linear, saturated, mono-unsaturated, or poly-unsaturated, alkyl chain ranging in length from 2 to 30 carbon atoms; and

Y is either nothing or a spacer group ranging in length from 2 to 30 atoms;

X is a polypyranose; and

n is a number from 2 to 1000.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the polypyranose is carboxymethylcellulose.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the polypyranose is alginate.

16. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the polypyranose is hydroxyethyl starch.

17. The method according to claim 12 , wherein n is a number from 2 to 200.

18. The method according to claim 13 , wherein n is a number from 2 to 200.

19. A method of treating a disease or disorder of the eye in a subject comprising the step of contacting said subject with a compound and/or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or a pharmaceutical product thereof, wherein said compound is represented by the structure of the general formula (I):

wherein

R 1 is a linear, saturated, mono-unsaturated, or poly-unsaturated, alkyl chain ranging in length from 2 to 30 carbon atoms;

R 2 is a linear, saturated, mono-unsaturated, or poly-unsaturated, alkyl chain ranging in length from 2 to 30 carbon atoms; and

Y is either nothing or a spacer group ranging in length from 2 to 30 atoms;

X is a glycosaminoglycan; and

n is a number from 2 to 1000;

wherein if Y is nothing the phosphatidylethanolamine is directly linked to X via an amide bond and if Y is a spacer, said spacer is directly linked to X via an amide or an esteric bond and to said phosphatidylethanolamine via an amide bond; and

wherein said disease or disorder of the eye is retinopathy, glaucoma, macular degeneration or retinal detachment.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein n is a number from 2 to 100.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein X is hyaluronic acid, heparin or chondroitin sulfate.

22. The method according to claim 19 , wherein X is hyaluronic acid, and R 1 , and/or R 2 is a palmitic acid moiety.

23. The method according to claim 19 , wherein X is hyaluronic acid, and R 1 , and/or R 2 is a myristic acid moiety.

24. The method according to claim 19 , wherein X is heparin, and R 1 , and/or R 2 is a palmitic acid moiety.

25. The method according to claim 19 , wherein X is heparin, and R 1 , and/or R 2 is a myristic acid moiety.

26. The method according to claim 19 , wherein X chondroitin sulfate, and R 1 , and/or R 2 is a palmitic acid moiety.

27. The method according to claim 19 , wherein X is chondroitin sulfate, and R 1 , and/or R 2 is a myristic acid moiety.