In vitro activity of nonoxynol 9 on HeLa 229 cells and primary monkey cervical epithelial cells infected with Chlamydia trachomatis

Abstract

Nonoxynol 9 (non-9) is the active ingredient in a wide variety of vaginal contraceptive preparations. The manufacturer recommendation for optimal contraceptive practice is repeated application every 6 h. We studied the in vitro activity of non-9 against Chlamydia trachomatis (E/UW-5/Cx) and its toxicity against HeLa 229 cells and monkey cervical epithelial cells. With a contact time of 6 h, non-9 was toxic to HeLa cells at concentrations of 50 ,ug/ml or greater and to monkey cervical cells at 100 ,ug/ml or greater. Inhibitory effects of non-9 on extracellular chiamydiae were observed at concentrations of 50 ,ug/ml or greater. Inhibition of intracellular growth of chlamydiae in monkey cervical cells was observed at a nontoxic concentration of 50 ,ug/ml. Our studies show that non-9 has antichlamydial activity. However, owing to its toxicity to cervical cells in vitro, the effects of prolonged use of non-9 in vivo should be further studied.

Inactivation of Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydia (Chlamydophila) pneumoniae by ozone

“…Several compounds such as chlorhexidine gluconate (Lampe et al 1998), nonoxynol-9 (Benes andMcCormack 1985;Kelly et al 1985;Patton et al 1992), protegrins and defensins (Yasin et al 1996) have in vitro inhibitory effects on C. trachomatis, and their topical application for clinical usage have been suggested. Clinical application of ozone water in chlamydial infections would involve repeated washing.…”

In Vitro and In Vivo

“…11,26 The potential for cumulative damage should now be considered an important assessment factor, particularly for membrane-active compounds. In contrast, cells were observed to be relatively resistant during the first 24 hours of exposure.…”

“…3 N-9 has been used at concentrations between 2% and 12% as the active component of spermicides for more than a quarter of a century. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Consequently, its potential for reducing the transmission of STIs had been suggested long before the onset of the HIV epidemic. 4,5 Early studies indicated that N-9 was active against a range of microbes and/or pathogens in vitro, including herpes simplex virus (HSV), cytomegalovirus, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, Treponema pallidum, Gardnerella vaginalis, Bacteroides, and Chlamydia trachomatis.…”

Poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate): evaluation of a topical microbicide gel against herpes simplex virus type 2 and Chlamydia trachomatis infections in mice

“…Initial attempts to develop topical microbicides focused on commercially available spermicides containing nonoxynol‐9 (N‐9). N‐9 has been shown to be active in vitro against STI pathogens, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and Chlamydia trachomatis [3–7]. Given their long history of clinical use, commercial spermicides containing N‐9 appeared to be excellent topical microbicide candidates.…”