Local administration of vaginal probiotics, especially lactobacilli, has been recently\nproposed as an effective prevention strategy against candidosis recurrences, which affect 40-50% of\nwomen. In this context, the aim of the present work was the development of a mucoadhesive in situ\ngelling formulation for the vaginal administration of Lactobacillus gasseri. Mixtures of poloxamer 407\n(P407) and methylcellulose (MC), two thermosensitive polymers, were prepared and subjected to\nrheological analyses for the assessment of their sol/gel transition temperature. The association of\nP407 (15% w/w) with MC (1.5% w/w) produced an increase in gelation extent at 37 DegreeC even after\ndilution in simulated vaginal fluid (SVF). The presence of 0.5% w/w pectin (PEC) produced a\nreduction of vehicle pH and viscosity at 25 DegreeC that is the vehicle resistance to flow during\nadministration. The presence of a low concentration of xyloglucan (XYL) (0.25% w/w) increases the\nmucoadhesive properties and the capability to gelify at 37 DegreeC of the formulation after dilution with\nSVF. A three-component (P407/MC/PEC; 3cM) and a four-component (P407/MC/PEC/XYL; 4cM)\nmixture were selected as promising candidates for the delivery of L. gasseri to the vaginal cavity.\nThey were able to preserve L. gasseri viability and were cytocompatible towards the HeLa cell line.
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