Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an infection of the vagina associated with thriving anaerobes, such as Gardnerella vaginitis and other associated pathogens. These pathogens form a biofilm responsible for the recurrence of infection after antibiotic therapy. The aim of this study was to develop a novel mucoadhesive polyvinyl alcohol and polycaprolactone electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds for vaginal delivery, incorporating metronidazole, a tenside, and Lactobacilli. This approach to drug delivery sought to combine an antibiotic for bacterial clearance, a tenside biofilm disruptor, and a lactic acid producer to restore healthy vaginal flora and prevent the recurrence of bacterial vaginosis. F7 and F8 had the least ductility at 29.25% and 28.39%, respectively, and this could be attributed to the clustering of particles that prevented the mobility of the crazes. F2 had the highest at 93.83% due to the addition of a surfactant that increased the affinity of the components. The scaffolds exhibited mucoadhesion between 31.54 ± 0.83% and 57.86 ± 0.95%, where an increased sodium cocoamphoacetate concentration led to increased mucoadhesion. F6 showed the highest mucoadhesion at 57.86 ± 0.95%, as compared to 42.67 ± 1.22% and 50.89 ± 1.01% for the F8 and F7 scaffolds, respectively. The release of metronidazole via a non-Fickian diffusion-release mechanism indicated both swelling and diffusion. The anomalous transport within the drug-release profile pointed to a drug-discharge mechanism that combined both diffusion and erosion. The viability studies showed a growth of Lactobacilli fermentum in both the polymer blend and the nanofiber formulation that was retained post-storage at 25 °C for 30 days. The developed electrospun scaffolds for the intravaginal delivery of Lactobacilli spp., along with a tenside and metronidazole for the management of bacterial vaginosis, provide a novel tool for the treatment and management of recurrent vaginal infection.

Background: Vaginal dysbiosis, a change in the beneficial vaginal microbiome, leads to a significant depletion in the essential lactobacilli thus increasing the possibility of vaginal infections such as bacterial vaginosis. Probiotics have gained more attention as a means of delivering exogenous lactobacilli but one of the challenges in delivery strategies is maintaining and improving their viability. The objective of this study is to enhance the viability of Lactobacillus spp., via encapsulation in hyaluronic acid/polyvinyl alcohol hybrid electrospun nanofibers. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and hyaluronic acid (HA) composite nanofibers integrated with Lactobacillus spp. were fabricated by electrospinning. The survival of Lactobacillus spp. after its immobilization in electrospun nanofibers with polyvinyl alcohol and hyaluronic acid was evaluated. Results: Scanning electron microscopy indicated larger average diameters in PVA/HA nanofibers with Lactobacillus spp. encapsulation (0.189 ± 0.041 µm to 0.231 ± 0.061 µm between D3 and D4, and 0.177 ± 0.043 µm to 0.212 ± 0.041 µm between D5 and D6) which showed that the nanofibers had the bacterial cells successfully enclosed in them. The viability of the lactic acid bacteria enclosed in the PVA/HA nanofibers was observed to decrease by more than 2-log units. Conclusion: The electrospun nanofiber-based delivery system is promising for the encapsulation and delivery of lactic acid bacteria to the vagina to combat recurrent vaginal infections such as bacterial vaginosis.

Electrospinning has emerged as one of the major technologies for designing and fabricating tissue engineering membranes. The resemblance of the electrospun fiber structure to blood capillaries endowed them with unique capabilities to mimic the native tissue biological characteristics, while the high surface‐to‐volume ratio enables them to exert a controlled release of drug directly to the exposed interstitial tissue. This research attempts to compare the characteristics of different electrospun polyvinyl alcohol/hyaluronic acid (PVA/HA) composite material nanofibrous membranes in order to identify the optimal material‐fabrication combination for wound dressing and skin tissue engineering applications. Far‐field electrospinning equipped with both rotatory and wire collectors is considered for membrane fabrication. PVA with different concentrations and molecular weights of HA are electrospun as nanofibrous membranes considering a voltage of 30 kV on both types of collectors. Comprehensive characterization is conducted including morphological, chemical, thermal, mechanical, and in vitro mucoadhesion analysis. In vitro cell viability/proliferation studies are also carried out and pointed out that the designed membranes are cytocompatible, and able to support keratinocytes proliferation. All these results proved that the fabricated PVA/HA nanofibrous membranes are suitable for wound dressing and skin tissue engineering applications, the optimal material‐fabrication combination is also determined.

Tenofovir (TNF) is an antiretroviral drug that has being used as a topical microbicide to prevent human immunodeficiency virus transmission (HIV). Cyanovirin-N (CV-N) is a lectin protein that can bind to the HIV envelope glycoprotein and inhibit viral entry. The combination of TNF and CV-N may have synergistic effects and enhance the efficacy of microbicide. The aim of this study was to develop and optimize composite hydrogel formulations containing 1%TNF and 0.0005% CV-N using Box Behnken Design. A three-factor, three-level Box-Behnken design was employed to investigate the effects of the concentrations of PEG₂₀₀₀, sodium carboxyl methylcellulose (NaCMC), and calcium chloride on the release of Tenofovir, flux, and mucoadhesion. The mucoadhesion was evaluated by measuring the percent mucin adsorption while flux and release kinetics were evaluated using the Franz cell diffusion method. The optimal hydrogel formulation was found to contain 4% NaCMC, 2% PEG2000 and 1% CaCl₂. The hydrogel had a pH of 4.5 ​± ​0.017, a viscosity of 275600 ​± ​0.65 ​cP, flux 9806 μg/cm²/h for TNF with a drug release of 119, 205.6 μg/cm². The TNF gel exhibited a pseudoplastic rheological behavior with 96.3% muco-adhesion. The study successfully developed an optimized TNF/CV-N mucoadhesive hydrogel, highlighting its potential as an on-demand multipurpose prevention technology (MPT) for HIV. The formulation was optimized to ensure good drug release, flux and mucoadhesion. The optimized hydrogel offers a convenient, effective method for preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs), addressing critical challenges in drug delivery and user adherence while advancing public health strategies for STIs.

Background: Electrospun fiber drug delivery systems, integrated into multipurpose prevention technologies, offer a promising solution for women facing health risks from HIV/STIs and unmet contraceptive needs by providing on‐demand protection in a single dosage form. This study investigates the potential of a multilayer electrospun fiber construct for pH‐responsive and sustained release of the HIV microbicide tenofovir (TFV) and the CatSper channel blocker nifedipine (NFP) respectively. Method: Electrospun fibers were fabricated in a stacked architecture by blend electrospinning using polycaprolactone (PCL) as the backing layer for delivering NFP and cellulose acetate phthalate (CAP) as the top layer for delivering TFV. An analysis of surface morphology, mechanical and chemical properties, mucoadhesion, drug release profiles, encapsulation efficiency, and safety assessments was performed. Results: An encapsulation efficiency of 52.13% was achieved for TFV, with a drug loading of 7.00%, while for NFP, the encapsulation efficiency was 63.86%, with a drug loading of 0.56%. The top layer exhibited a pH‐responsive release profile and Fickian diffusion in both SVF and SVF/SF environments, while the backing layer showed Fickian diffusion in SVF and a release profile closer to zero‐order in SVF/SF. Conclusion: This study highlights the potential of multilayered CAP/PCL electrospun fibers for intravaginal delivery of TFV and NFP, aimed at the pre‐exposure prophylaxis of HIV‐1 and prevention of unplanned pregnancy.