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ASRI2005‐90
Vaginal formulations – how innocuous are they to the vaginal epithelial immune function?
Author(s) -
Trifonova RT,
Pasicznyk JM,
Fichorova RN
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
american journal of reproductive immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.071
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1600-0897
pISSN - 1046-7408
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0897.2005.00295_6.x
Subject(s) - microbicide , microbicides for sexually transmitted diseases , vaginal microbicide , proinflammatory cytokine , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , medicine , vagina , immunology , vaginal flora , inflammation , pharmacology , bacterial vaginosis , gynecology , population , surgery , environmental health , health services
Problem: The disruption of the epithelial barrier and activation of inflammatory pathways may lead to increased susceptibility to viral infection. Over‐the‐counter (OTC) vaginal products have received little attention in this regard, however the recent development of anti‐HIV‐1 microbicides has brought the importance of mucosal integrity to forefront. While vaginal microbicides represent a promising strategy for preventing HIV‐1 and other sexually transmitted infections, they can be efficacious only if they cause no epithelial toxicity or inflammation. Method: We used a novel organotypic cervicovaginal model (VEC100, Mattek) to compare hygienic or spermicidal OTC to the anti‐HIV‐1 microbicide cellulose acetate 1,2‐benzenedicarboxylate (CAP). Results: CAP film and gel formulations appeared non‐toxic in MTT and LDH viability assays and did not induce release of pro‐inflammatory mediators e.g. IL‐1, IL‐6 and IL‐8 as compared to controls. In contrast, a commercially available vaginal cleansing film containing Nonoxynol‐9 showed proinflammatory potential commeasurable to that of TNFα. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the usefulness of the VEC tissue model for immunoinflammatory characterization and safety assessment of vaginal products. It provides evidence that CAP in film and gel forms may be used as a safe anti‐HIV‐1 prevention agent or vehicle for other vaginal products. This study was supported by NICHD 1P01HD041761.