Polymer-based nanocarriers for vaginal drug delivery

Abstract

The vaginal delivery of various drugs is well described and its relevance established in current medical practice. Alongside recent advances and achievements in the fields of pharmaceutical nanotechnology and nanomedicine, there is an increasing interest in the potential use of different nanocarriers for the delivery of old and new pharmacologically active molecules with either therapeutic or prophylactic purposes. Nanosystems of polymeric nature in particular have been investigated over the last years and their interactions with mucosal fluids and tissues, as well as genital tract biodistribution upon vaginal administration, are now better understood. While different applications have been envisioned, most of the current research is focusing in the development of nano-formulations with the potential to inhibit the vaginal transmission of HIV upon sexual intercourse. The present work focuses its discussion on the potential and perils of polymer-based nanocarriers for the vaginal administration of different pharmacologically active molecules.

Innovative Methods and Applications in Mucoadhesion Research

“…The surface of the vaginal tract is covered by a mucous membrane. The mucin layer consists of two different types of mucins; cell‐associated mucin and secreted mucin forming the outer layer . The secreted mucin has a rapid turnover and can trap foreign particles which will then be efficiently cleared away.…”

Precise engineering of dapivirine-loaded nanoparticles for the development of anti-HIV vaginal microbicides

“…While waiting for these and other clinical results, 73 alternative possibilities for advancing microbicides have been pro- 74 posed, namely the use of nanotechnology-based carriers for deliv-75 ering potent antiretroviral drugs. For example, nanocarriers may 76 provide protective drug levels at cervicovaginal tissues and HIV-77 target cells for longer time-frames [6,7]. This in turn may potential- 78 ly increase protection against infection while allowing obtaining 79 coitally-independent microbicides.…”

Drug delivery strategies and systems for HIV/AIDS pre-exposure prophylaxis and treatment

“…Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems are a promising option to advance the field of microbicides by their ability to (1) facilitate drug/virus interactions, (2) increase synergy for drug cocktails (3) penetrate mucosa tissue, (4) provide sustained and triggered drug release, (5) target HIV susceptible cells, (6) improve drug solubility and permeability, and (7) serve as a drug barrier along the epithelial cell lining [74–76]. Recent review articles published earlier this year discuss the benefits and potential drawbacks of exploring nanotechnology-based solutions to improve the efficacy of vaginal microbicides [73, 77]. …”