Dynamic mechanical behaviour of nanoparticle loaded biodegradable PVA films for vaginal drug delivery

Traore, Y. L., Fumakia, M., Gu, J., & Ho, E. A. Dynamic mechanical behaviour of nanoparticle loaded biodegradable PVA films for vaginal drug delivery, Journal of Biomaterials Applications 32(8) pp. 1119–1126. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/0885328217739451In this study, we investigated the viscoelastic and mechanical behaviour of polyvinyl alcohol films formulated along with carrageenan, plasticizing agents (polyethylene glycol and glycerol), and when loaded with nanoparticles as a model for potential applications as microbicides. The storage modulus, loss modulus and glass transition temperature were determined using a dynamic mechanical analyzer. Films fabricated from 2% to 5% polyvinyl alcohol containing 3 mg or 5 mg of fluorescently labeled nanoparticles were evaluated. The storage modulus and loss modulus values of blank films were shown to be higher than the nanoparticle-loaded films. Glass transition temperature determined using the storage modulus, and loss modulus was between 40–50℃ and 35–40℃, respectively. The tensile properties evaluated showed that 2% polyvinyl alcohol films were more elastic but less resistant to breaking compared to 5% polyvinyl alcohol films (2% films break around 1 N load and 5% films break around 7 N load). To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the influence of nanoparticle and film composition on the physico-mechanical properties of polymeric films for vaginal drug delivery.Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery grant (Grant No.: RGPIN-2015-06008) Research Manitoba Operating Grant and a Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Leaders Opportunity Fund Leslie F Buggey Professorship Manitoba Graduate Scholarship from the province of Manitob

Implant delivering hydroxychloroquine attenuates vaginal T lymphocyte activation and inflammation

The final publication is available at Elsevier via https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2018.03.010 © 2018. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Evidence suggests that women who are naturally resistant to HIV infection exhibit low baseline immune activation at the female genital tract (FGT). This “immune quiescent” state is associated with lower expression of T-cell activation markers, reduced levels of gene transcription and pro-inflammatory cytokine or chemokine production involved in HIV infection while maintaining an intact immune response against pathogens. Therefore, if this unique immune quiescent state can be pharmacologically induced locally, it will provide an excellent women-oriented strategy against HIV infection To our knowledge, this is the first research article evaluating in vivo, an innovative trackable implant that can provide controlled delivery of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to successfully attenuate vaginal T lymphocyte activation and inflammation in a rabbit model as a potential strategy to induce an “immune quiescent” state within the FGT for the prevention of HIV infection. This biocompatible implant can deliver HCQ above therapeutic concentrations in a controlled manner, reduce submucosal immune cell recruitment, improve mucosal epithelium integrity, decrease protein and gene expression of T-cell activation markers, and attenuate the induction of key pro-inflammatory mediators. Our results suggest that microbicides designed to maintain a low level of immune activation at the FGT may offer a promising new strategy for reducing HIV infection.Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Operating Grant (MOP110981) CIHR Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative Grant (OCH-126275) Research Manitoba Graduate Studentship Leslie F. Buggy Graduate Scholarship in Pharmacy from the University of Manitob