Investigating natural antibiofilm components: a new therapeutic perspective against candidal vulvovaginitis. (March 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hassan, Nazia; Firdaus, Salma; Padhi, Santwana; Ali, Asgar; Iqbal, Zeenat
• Is Part Of: Medical hypotheses. Volume 148(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-03
• Subjects: Candida albicans -- Biofilm -- Antifungal -- Transvaginal -- Nanostructured lipid carriers -- Women health; Medicine -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine -- Périodiques; Medicine; Periodicals; 610
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2021.110515
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-9877

Abstract

Abstract: The rampant emergence of Candida albicans in the vagina and its ability to thrive as a biofilm has outstood the prevalence of candidal vulvovaginitis (CVV), a gender-based fungal infection approximately affecting 75% of the global female population. The biofilm represents a multidimensional microbial population, which often dictates prominent caveats of CVV such as increased fungal virulence, drug resistance and infection relapse/recurrence. Additionally, the conjugated issues of the ineffectiveness of conventional antifungals (azoles), prolonged treatment durations, compromised patient compliance, economic and social burden, exacerbates CVV complications as well. Henceforth, the current hypothesis narrates an investigational proposal for exploration and combination of naturally derived antibiofilm components with luliconazole (imidazole antifungal agent) as a new therapeutic paradigm against CVV. The purported hypothesis unravels a synergistic approach for fabricating Nanostructured Lipid Carriers, NLCs loaded transvaginal gel with dual APIs of natural (antibiofilm) as well as the synthetic (antifungal) origin to target high therapeutic efficacy, delivery, retention, controlled release and bioadhesion in a vaginal milieu. The multipronged effect of antibiofilm and antifungal agents will expectably enhance drug susceptibility thus, maintaining Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) against cells of C. albicans and targeting its biofilm in planktonic, adherent, and sessile phases. The effective disruption of a biofilm could further lower infection resistance and recurrence as well. In conclusion, the purported hypothesis could speed up the emergence of novel drug combinations and accelerates new product development with solid, synergistic, and complementary activities against C. albicans and its biofilm, making it amenable for generating pre-clinical and clinical results thereby creating a suitable roadmap for commercialization.