Rai Veeresh, Kyser Anthony J, Goodin Dylan A, Mahmoud Mohamed Y, Steinbach-Rankins Jill M, Frieboes Hermann B
Department of Bioengineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
Ann 3D Print Med. 2023 Aug;11. doi: 10.1016/j.stlm.2023.100120. Epub 2023 Jul 4.
Lactobacilli, play a beneficial role in the female reproductive tract (FRT), regulating pH via lactic acid metabolism to help maintain a healthy environment. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is characterized by a dysregulated flora in which anaerobes such as () create a less acidic environment. Current treatment focuses on antibiotic administration, including metronidazole, clindamycin, or tinidazole; however, lack of patient compliance as well as antibiotic resistance may contribute to 50% recurrence within a year. Recently, locally administered probiotics such as () have been evaluated as a prophylactic against recurrence. To mitigate the lack of patient compliance, sustained probiotic delivery has been proposed via 3D-bioprinted delivery vehicles. Successful delivery depends on a variety of vehicle fabrication parameters influencing timing and rate of probiotic recovery; detailed evaluation of these parameters would benefit from computational modeling complementary to experimental evaluation. This study implements a novel simulation platform to evaluate sustained delivery of probiotics from 3D-bioprinted scaffolds, taking into consideration bacterial lactic acid production and associated pH changes. The results show that the timing and rate of probiotic recovery can be realistically simulated based on fabrication parameters that affect scaffold degradation and probiotic survival. Longer term, the proposed approach could help personalize localized probiotic delivery to the FRT to advance women's health.
乳酸杆菌在女性生殖道（FRT）中发挥有益作用，通过乳酸代谢调节pH值，以帮助维持健康的环境。细菌性阴道病（BV）的特征是菌群失调，其中诸如（）等厌氧菌会营造酸性较低的环境。目前的治疗重点是使用抗生素，包括甲硝唑、克林霉素或替硝唑；然而，患者依从性差以及抗生素耐药性可能导致一年内复发率达到50%。最近，局部施用益生菌，如（），已被评估为预防复发的方法。为了缓解患者依从性差的问题，已提出通过3D生物打印递送载体持续递送益生菌。成功递送取决于影响益生菌恢复时间和速率的各种载体制造参数；对这些参数的详细评估将受益于与实验评估互补的计算建模。本研究实施了一个新颖的模拟平台，以评估从3D生物打印支架中持续递送益生菌的情况，同时考虑细菌乳酸产生和相关的pH值变化。结果表明，基于影响支架降解和益生菌存活的制造参数，可以实际模拟益生菌恢复的时间和速率。从长远来看，所提出的方法有助于将局部益生菌递送个性化至女性生殖道，以促进女性健康。
