A Fungistatic Strategy Using a Shear-Thinning pH-Responsive CMCS-OHA-Lp/Lr Hydrogel for Vulvovaginal Candidiasis
<b>Background</b>: Vulvar vaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a type of vaginitis resulting from a Candida infection of the vaginal mucosa. Traditional treatments using antibiotics often lead to resistance and disrupt the vaginal microenvironment, causing ongoing problems for patients. In respo...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/4/527 |
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| author | Yuanmin Zhao Xiu Yang Jiale Han Chaoqi Huang Mengliu Shao Yan Yang Qingliang Yang Gensheng Yang |
| author_facet | Yuanmin Zhao Xiu Yang Jiale Han Chaoqi Huang Mengliu Shao Yan Yang Qingliang Yang Gensheng Yang |
| author_sort | Yuanmin Zhao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Background</b>: Vulvar vaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a type of vaginitis resulting from a Candida infection of the vaginal mucosa. Traditional treatments using antibiotics often lead to resistance and disrupt the vaginal microenvironment, causing ongoing problems for patients. In response to these challenges, this study introduces a multifunctional intelligent responsive probiotic hydrogel designed to modulate the vaginal microecological environment to combat <i>Candida albicans</i> infection. <b>Methods</b>: The innovative CMCS-OHA-Lp/Lr hydrogel was formulated using oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) as carriers, incorporating <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> (Lp) and <i>Lactobacillus rhamnosus</i> (Lr) as active components. Comprehensive characterization of the CMCS-OHA-Lp/Lr hydrogel revealed its chemical structure, rheological properties, rapid self-healing properties, gel degradation, and the release of lactobacilli in vitro. <b>Results</b>: The findings demonstrated that the hydrogel’s cross-linking conferred significant physical properties. In addition, the in vitro release study of Lactobacillus showed that the cumulative release rates of Lp and Lr in the medium with pH 5.5 were 83.50 ± 2.70% and 73.31 ± 2.22%, which proved the pH-responsive release characteristics of probiotics in acidic vaginal environments. Furthermore, the storage activity of Lactobacillus indicated that the survival rates of the CMCS-OHA-Lp and CMCS-OHA-Lr hydrogels were 86.90 ± 0.20% and 85.50 ± 0.56%, respectively, proving that encapsulation within the hydrogels significantly enhanced the storage stability of probiotics. In vivo studies further confirmed that the hydrogel alleviated vulval edema symptoms and reduced <i>C. albicans</i> colonies in the vagina, thereby mitigating vaginal inflammation. <b>Conclusions</b>: In conclusion, this pH-responsive, self-healing, and shear-thinning hydrogel offers a promising approach for the clinical treatment of VVC and serves as an effective probiotic delivery vehicle. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-201f2b417ce34b489b6ed7a6c031ea4e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1999-4923 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
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| series | Pharmaceutics |
| spelling | doaj-art-201f2b417ce34b489b6ed7a6c031ea4e2025-08-20T03:13:51ZengMDPI AGPharmaceutics1999-49232025-04-0117452710.3390/pharmaceutics17040527A Fungistatic Strategy Using a Shear-Thinning pH-Responsive CMCS-OHA-Lp/Lr Hydrogel for Vulvovaginal CandidiasisYuanmin Zhao0Xiu Yang1Jiale Han2Chaoqi Huang3Mengliu Shao4Yan Yang5Qingliang Yang6Gensheng Yang7College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, ChinaCollege of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, ChinaCollege of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, ChinaCollege of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, ChinaCollege of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, ChinaCollege of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, ChinaCollege of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, ChinaCollege of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China<b>Background</b>: Vulvar vaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a type of vaginitis resulting from a Candida infection of the vaginal mucosa. Traditional treatments using antibiotics often lead to resistance and disrupt the vaginal microenvironment, causing ongoing problems for patients. In response to these challenges, this study introduces a multifunctional intelligent responsive probiotic hydrogel designed to modulate the vaginal microecological environment to combat <i>Candida albicans</i> infection. <b>Methods</b>: The innovative CMCS-OHA-Lp/Lr hydrogel was formulated using oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) as carriers, incorporating <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> (Lp) and <i>Lactobacillus rhamnosus</i> (Lr) as active components. Comprehensive characterization of the CMCS-OHA-Lp/Lr hydrogel revealed its chemical structure, rheological properties, rapid self-healing properties, gel degradation, and the release of lactobacilli in vitro. <b>Results</b>: The findings demonstrated that the hydrogel’s cross-linking conferred significant physical properties. In addition, the in vitro release study of Lactobacillus showed that the cumulative release rates of Lp and Lr in the medium with pH 5.5 were 83.50 ± 2.70% and 73.31 ± 2.22%, which proved the pH-responsive release characteristics of probiotics in acidic vaginal environments. Furthermore, the storage activity of Lactobacillus indicated that the survival rates of the CMCS-OHA-Lp and CMCS-OHA-Lr hydrogels were 86.90 ± 0.20% and 85.50 ± 0.56%, respectively, proving that encapsulation within the hydrogels significantly enhanced the storage stability of probiotics. In vivo studies further confirmed that the hydrogel alleviated vulval edema symptoms and reduced <i>C. albicans</i> colonies in the vagina, thereby mitigating vaginal inflammation. <b>Conclusions</b>: In conclusion, this pH-responsive, self-healing, and shear-thinning hydrogel offers a promising approach for the clinical treatment of VVC and serves as an effective probiotic delivery vehicle.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/4/527shear-thinning vaginal hydrogelprobiotic gelvulvovaginal candidiasisLactobacillusin situ release |
| spellingShingle | Yuanmin Zhao Xiu Yang Jiale Han Chaoqi Huang Mengliu Shao Yan Yang Qingliang Yang Gensheng Yang A Fungistatic Strategy Using a Shear-Thinning pH-Responsive CMCS-OHA-Lp/Lr Hydrogel for Vulvovaginal Candidiasis Pharmaceutics shear-thinning vaginal hydrogel probiotic gel vulvovaginal candidiasis Lactobacillus in situ release |
| title | A Fungistatic Strategy Using a Shear-Thinning pH-Responsive CMCS-OHA-Lp/Lr Hydrogel for Vulvovaginal Candidiasis |
| title_full | A Fungistatic Strategy Using a Shear-Thinning pH-Responsive CMCS-OHA-Lp/Lr Hydrogel for Vulvovaginal Candidiasis |
| title_fullStr | A Fungistatic Strategy Using a Shear-Thinning pH-Responsive CMCS-OHA-Lp/Lr Hydrogel for Vulvovaginal Candidiasis |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Fungistatic Strategy Using a Shear-Thinning pH-Responsive CMCS-OHA-Lp/Lr Hydrogel for Vulvovaginal Candidiasis |
| title_short | A Fungistatic Strategy Using a Shear-Thinning pH-Responsive CMCS-OHA-Lp/Lr Hydrogel for Vulvovaginal Candidiasis |
| title_sort | fungistatic strategy using a shear thinning ph responsive cmcs oha lp lr hydrogel for vulvovaginal candidiasis |
| topic | shear-thinning vaginal hydrogel probiotic gel vulvovaginal candidiasis Lactobacillus in situ release |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/4/527 |
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