Formulation, stability study and preclinical evaluation of a vaginal cream containing curcumin in a rat model of vulvovaginal candidiasis

Abstract

Owing to the growing resistance among isolates of Candida species to usual antifungal agents and the well-known therapeutic potential of curcumin, the purpose of this study was to develop and validate a vaginal formulation containing this substance and to evaluating its effectiveness in the treatment of experimental vulvovaginal candidiasis. Curcumin was incorporated in a vaginal cream in three concentrations (0.01%, 0.1% and 1.0%). The different concentrations of the cream and its controls were intravaginally administered in an immunosuppressed rat model to evaluate the efficacy in the treatment of experimental vulvovaginal candidiasis. Samples of the cream were also subjected to centrifugation and physical stability tests and an analytical method for quantification of curcumin was validated based on HPLC. The formulation was stable and the HPLC method could be considered suitable for the quantitative determination of curcumin in the cream. After 6 days of preclinical study, the number of infected animals was 1/6 in all groups treated with curcumin vaginal cream and the fungal burden showed a progressive reduction. Reduction in the inflammatory infiltrate was observed in the group treated with 1.0% cream. Vaginal cream containing curcumin could be considered a promising effective antifungal medicine in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis.

The effect of curcumin-based and clotrimazole vaginal cream in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis

“…Usual symptoms disappear within 2–3 days. [20] In the present study, azole compounds (clotrimazole) yielded the same results in regards to negative culture; curcumin, also, caused a 59.6% rate of negative cultivation. Although the effect of curcumin did not turn out to be as optimum as clotrimazole, further investigations can be conducted on this substance as an herbal remedy for treatment of vaginal symptomatic candidiasis.…”

Anti-infective Properties of the Golden Spice Curcumin

“…Another non-invasive treatment option is the local application of curcumin containing formulations. A recent study used a cream containing 1.0% curcumin to treat vulvovaginal candidiasis in a rat model (Fernandes et al, 2018). The authors observed a reduction of fungal burden and inflammatory infiltration due to the cream.…”

Curcumin solid dispersion-loaded in situ hydrogels for local treatment of injured vaginal bacterial infection and improvement of vaginal wound healing

“…Topical administration of curcumin may be a fundamental solution to curcumin biomedical application because it remains local . Some topically curcumin formulations were applied for therapy of vaginal infection . Recently, smart polymer gels are focused on .…”