Chindamo Giulia, Sapino Simona, Peira Elena, Chirio Daniela, Gallarate Marina
Department of Drug Science and Technology, University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy.
Nanomaterials (Basel). 2021 Jan 26;11(2):311. doi: 10.3390/nano11020311.
Vaginal infections such as bacterial vaginosis (BV), chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, candidiasis, and trichomoniasis affect millions of women each year. They are caused by an overgrowth of microorganisms, generally sexually transmitted, which in turn can be favored by alterations in the vaginal flora. Conventional treatments of these infections consist in systemic or local antimicrobial therapies. However, in the attempt to reduce adverse effects and to contrast microbial resistance and infection recurrences, many efforts have been devoted to the development of vaginal systems for the local delivery of antimicrobials. Several topical dosage forms such as aerosols, lotions, suppositories, tablets, gels, and creams have been proposed, although they are sometimes ineffective due to their poor penetration and rapid removal from the vaginal canal. For these reasons, the development of innovative drug delivery systems, able to remain in situ and release active agents for a prolonged period, is becoming more and more important. Among all, nanosystems such as liposomes, nanoparticles (NPs), and micelles with tunable surface properties, but also thermogelling nanocomposites, could be exploited to improve local drug delivery, biodistribution, retention, and uptake in vulvovaginal tissues. The aim of this review is to provide a survey of the variety of nanoplatforms developed for the vaginal delivery of antimicrobial agents. A concise summary of the most common vaginal infections and of the conventional therapies is also provided.
诸如细菌性阴道病（BV）、衣原体感染、淋病、生殖器疱疹、念珠菌病和滴虫病等阴道感染每年影响数百万女性。它们是由微生物过度生长引起的，通常通过性传播，而阴道菌群的改变又可能助长这种情况。这些感染的传统治疗方法包括全身或局部抗菌疗法。然而，为了减少不良反应并对抗微生物耐药性和感染复发，人们致力于开发用于局部递送抗菌药物的阴道给药系统。已经提出了几种局部剂型，如气雾剂、洗剂、栓剂、片剂、凝胶和乳膏，尽管它们有时由于穿透性差和从阴道管快速清除而无效。由于这些原因，开发能够原位保留并长时间释放活性剂的创新药物递送系统变得越来越重要。其中，诸如脂质体、纳米颗粒（NPs）和具有可调表面性质的胶束等纳米系统，以及热凝胶纳米复合材料，可用于改善局部药物递送、生物分布、保留和在外阴阴道组织中的摄取。本综述的目的是对为阴道递送抗菌剂而开发的各种纳米平台进行综述。还简要总结了最常见的阴道感染和传统疗法。
