In Silico Guided Nanoformulation Strategy for Circumvention of Candida albicans Biofilm for Effective Therapy of Candidal Vulvovaginitis

Nanogel-based composites for bacterial antibiofilm activity: advances, challenges, and prospects

Nano-based approaches, particularly nanogels, have recently emerged as a potential strategy for combating biofilm-related infections. Their exceptional characteristics including biocompatibility, biodegradability, stability, high water content, stimuli-responsiveness, and their nano size (which enables their penetration into biofilms) make nanogels a promising technology in the biomedical field. However, exploring nanogels for biofilm treatment remains in its early stages. This review examined the status of nanogels application for the treatment of bacterial biofilms. Recent investigations studied nanogels derived from natural polymers like chitosan (CS), hyaluronic acid (HA), and alginate, among others, for eliminating and inhibiting biofilms. These nanogels were utilized as carriers for diverse antibiofilm agents, encompassing antibiotics, antimicrobial peptides, natural extracts, and nanoparticles. Utilizing mechanisms like conventional antibody-mediated pathways, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, chemodynamic therapy, and EPS degradation, these nanogels effectively administered antibiofilm drugs, exhibiting efficacy across several bacterial strains, notably Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), and Escherichia coli (E. coli), among others. Despite showing promise, nanogels remain relatively underexplored in biofilm treatment. This review concludes that research gaps are still present in biofilm treatment processes including (i) a better understanding of the stimuli-responsive behaviors of nanogels, (ii) active targeting strategies, and (iii) the narrow spectrum of antibiofilm agents loaded into nanogels. Hence, future studies could be directed towards the following elements: the exploration of multi-strain biofilms rather than single-strain biofilms, other endogenous and exogenous stimuli to trigger drug release, active targeting mechanisms, a broader range of antibiofilm agents when employing nanogels, and fostering more comprehensive and reliable biofilm treatment strategies. This review found that there are currently several research gaps as well in the use of nanogels for biofilm therapy, and these include: (i) very limited exogenous and endogenous stimuli were explored to trigger drug release from nanogels, (ii) the active targeting strategies were not explored, (iii) a very narrow spectrum of antibiofilm agents was loaded into nanogels, and (iv) only biofilms of single strains were investigated.

In silico and in vitro assessment of an optimized QbD-guided myoinositol and metformin-loaded mucus-penetrating particle-based gel for the amelioration of PCOS

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a multi-factorial endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age. However, its high prevalence and the unsuccessful translation of conventional modalities have made PCOS a pharmaco-therapeutic challenge. In the present study, we explored bi-formulations (comprising metformin-loaded mucus-penetrating nanoparticles, MTF-MPPs, and myoinositol-loaded mucus-penetrating particles, MI-MPPs) incorporated in a carbomer gel tailored for intravaginal administration. For the development and optimization of the MPPs-gel, a QbD (quality by design) approach was employed, including the initial and final risk assessment, central composite design of experts, and method validation. The optimized MTF-MPPs and MI-MPPs possessed an optimum nanometric particle size (195.0 nm and 178.8 nm, respectively) and a PDI of 0.150 and 0.123, respectively, together with a negligible negative zeta potential (-5.19 mV and -6.19 mV, respectively) through the vaginal mucus. It was observed that the MPPs are small and monodisperse with a neutral surface charge. It was observed that the MPPs-gel formulations released approximately 69.86 ± 4.65% of MTF and 67.14 ± 5.74% of MI within 120 h (5 days), which was observed to be sustained unlike MFT-MI-gel with approximately 94.89 ± 4.17% of MTF and 90.91 ± 15% of MI drugs released within 12 h. The confocal microscopy study of rhodamine-loaded MPPs indicated that they possessed a high fluorescence intensity at a depth of 15 μm, while as the penetration trajectory in the vaginal tissue increased to 35 μm, their intensity was reduced, appearing to be more prominent in the blood vessels. The analyzed data of MPPs-gel suggest that the optimized MPPs-gel formulation has potential to reach the targeted area via the uterovaginal mucosa, which has a wide network of blood vessels. Subsequently, in vivo studies were conducted and the results revealed that the proposed MPPs-gel formulation could regulate the estrous cycle of the reproductive system compared to the conventional formulation. Moreover, the formulation significantly reduced the weight of the ovaries compared to the control and conventional vaginal gel. Biochemical estimation showed improved insulin and sex hormone levels. Thus, the obtained data revealed that the deep penetration and deposition of MTF and MI on the targeted area through intravaginal delivery resulted in better therapeutic effects than the conventional vaginal gel. The obtained results confirmed the amelioration of PCOS upon treatment using the prepared MPPs-gel formulation. According to the relevant evaluation studies, it was concluded that MPPs-gel was retained in the vaginal cavity for systemic effects. Also, the sustained and non-irritating therapeutic effect meets the safety aspects. This work serves as a promising strategy for intravaginal drug delivery.