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. 2022 Jun 15;14(6):4015-4023.
eCollection 2022.

Metronidazole-loaded nanoparticulate thermoreversible gel for gynecologic infection of Trichomonas vaginalis

Ling Fang  1 , Xianyi Lu  2 , Chengjun Cui  1 , Qifeng Shi  3 , Haojue Wang  2
Affiliations

Metronidazole-loaded nanoparticulate thermoreversible gel for gynecologic infection of Trichomonas vaginalis

Ling Fang et al. Am J Transl Res. .

Abstract

Objective: Trichomoniasis is a common sexually-transmitted disease that is associated with increased perinatal morbidity and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. This study aimed to develop a Metronidazole-loaded nanoparticulate thermoreversible gel for gynecological infection of Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis).

Methods: The optimized nanoparticulate formulation was used in thermoreversible gel and characterized for physico-chemical properties, antiparasitic activity, and in vivo efficacy in the BALB/c mouse model.

Result: A nearly threefold rise in antiparasitic activity of the optimized formulation was observed as compared to that of regular gel. Formulation F5 successfully cured the trichomoniasis within 3 days, while regular gel and pure Metronidazole (MTDZ) failed to cure this infection (P<0.05).

Conclusion: The present investigation confirms the ability of thermoreversible gel containing nanoparticulate metronidazole againstthe infection by T. vaginalis. The developed gel could be an alternative to the existing drug delivery system for the treatment of trichomoniasis.

Keywords: Metronidazole; Trichomonas vaginalis; chitosan; drug delivery; nanoparticles; poloxamer; thermoreversible; trichomoniasis; vaginal.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Scanning electron microscopy of nanoparticles.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Permeability of drugs through mucosal membranes. *indicates comparison with F1, #indicates comparison with F2, &indicates comparison with F3, @indicates comparison with F4, P<0.05.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of infection grading among all groups. *indicates comparison with F5, #indicates comparison with Pure, @indicates comparison with regular gel, P<0.05.
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