Application of electrospun fibers for female reproductive health

Abstract

Here, we present the current challenges in women’s reproductive health and the current state-of-the-art treatment and prevention options for STI prevention, contraception, and treatment of infections. We discuss how the versatile platform of electrospun fibers can be applied to each challenge, and postulate at how these technologies could be improved. The void of approved electrospun fiber-based products yields the potential to apply this useful technology to a number of medical applications, many of which are relevant to women’s reproductive health. Given the ability to tune drug delivery characteristics and three-dimensional geometry, there are many opportunities to pursue new product designs and routes of administration for electrospun fibers. For each application, we provide an overview of the versatility of electrospun fibers as a novel dosage form and summarize their advantages in clinical applications. We also provide a perspective on why electrospun fibers are well suited for a variety of applications within women’s reproductive health, and identify areas that could greatly benefit from innovations with electrospun fiber-based approaches.

Pharmaceutical Vehicles for Vaginal and Rectal Administration of Anti-HIV Microbicide Nanosystems

“…Polymeric NPs have been amongst the most popular nanocarriers used [61], although solid lipid NPs [62], liposomes [63], or nanolipogels [64] have been considered as alternatives. Furthermore, nanofibers attracted great interest as vaginal microbicides due to their ability to modulate drug release, provide fast distribution of incorporated compounds, and allow formulation of multiple active molecules in the same system [65].…”

Application of Sol–Gels for Treatment of Gynaecological Conditions—Physiological Perspectives and Emerging Concepts in Intravaginal Drug Delivery

“…Polymer technology has also evolved, with electrospun fibre technology being used to regulate the vaginal drug release of anti-HIV drugs and contraceptives [ 139 ]. Such platforms have the potential to deliver diverse classes of drugs, including small molecules, nucleosides, proteins, antibodies, and peptides, as a single drug entity or multiple drugs, as well as offering the encapsulation of drugs of varied solubility, which can assist in filling the considerable voids that exist with conventional dosage forms [ 139 , 140 , 141 ].…”

Long-acting implantable devices for the prevention and personalised treatment of infectious, inflammatory and chronic diseases

“…IVRs are the gold standard in the treatment of HIV infection in the female population, but patient's adherence to their administration is still a concern; moreover, manufacturing of IVRs is usually carried on at high temperatures, making the incorporation of therapeutics difficult. Recently, elecrospun fibrous scaffolds started to be used in HIV treatment [41]. Electrospinning is a manufacturing technique that allow to produce micro/nanometric fibres by exploiting electric field.…”