title: Advanced topical drug delivery system for the management of vaginal candidiasis.
abstract: Vaginal candidiasis or vulvovaginal candidiasis (VC) is a common mucosal infection of vagina, mainly caused by Candida species. The major symptoms of VC are dyspareunia, pruritis, itching, soreness, vagina as well as vulvar erythema and edema. Most common risk factors that lead to the imbalance in the vaginal micro biota are the use of antibiotics, pregnancy, diabetes mellitus, immuno suppression as in AIDS or HIV patients, frequent sexual intercourse, spermicide and intra-uterine devices and vaginal douching. Various anti-fungal drugs are available for effective treatment of VC. Different conventional vaginal formulations (creams, gels, suppositories, powder, ointment, etc.) for VC are available today but have limited efficacy because of lesser residence time on vaginal epithelium due to self-cleansing action of vagina. So to overcome this problem, an extended and intimate contact with vaginal mucosa is desired; which can be accomplished by utilizing mucoadhesive polymers. Mucoadhesive polymers have an excellent binding capacity to mucosal tissues for considerable period of time. This unique property of these polymers significantly enhances retention time of different formulations on mucosal tissues. Currently, various novel formulations such as liposomes, nano- and microparticles, micro-emulsions, bio-adhesive gel and tablets are used to control and treat VC. In this review, we focused on current status of vaginal candidiasis, conventional and nanotechnology inspired formulation approaches.
authors: a Department of Pharmaceutics , ISF College of Pharmacy , Moga , Punjab , India.
authors: Himmat Singh
authors: HS
authors: Johal
authors: a Department of Pharmaceutics , ISF College of Pharmacy , Moga , Punjab , India.
authors: Tarun
authors: T
authors: Garg
authors: a Department of Pharmaceutics , ISF College of Pharmacy , Moga , Punjab , India.
authors: Goutam
authors: G
authors: Rath
authors: a Department of Pharmaceutics , ISF College of Pharmacy , Moga , Punjab , India.
authors: Amit Kumar
authors: AK
authors: Goyal
mesh_terms: D000268:Adhesiveness; D000282:Administration, Intravaginal; D000287:Administration, Topical; D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D002181:Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D004304:Dosage Forms; D004337:Drug Carriers; D004339:Drug Compounding; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology; D053758:Nanoparticles; D036103:Nanotechnology; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D015995:Prevalence; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods; D014621:Vagina / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D004304:Dosage Forms; D004337:Drug Carriers; D011108:Polymers
keywords: Bio-adhesive polymers; liposomes; nanotechnology; novel drug delivery systems; vaginal candidiasis