Locally administered nanosuspension increases delivery of estradiol for the treatment of vaginal atrophy in mice.

Vaginal atrophy affects up to 57% of post-menopausal women, with symptoms ranging from vaginal burning to dysuria. Estradiol hormone replacement therapy may be prescribed to alleviate these symptoms, though many vaginal products have drawbacks including increased discharge and local tissue toxicity due to their hypertonic nature. Here, we describe the development and characterization of a Pluronic F127-coated estradiol nanosuspension (NS) formulation for improved vaginal estradiol delivery. We compare the pharmacokinetics to the clinical comparator vaginal cream (Estrace) and demonstrate increased delivery of estradiol to the vaginal tissue. We utilized ovariectomized (OVX) mice as a murine model of post-menopausal vaginal atrophy and demonstrated equivalent efficacy in vaginal re-epithelialization when dosed with either the estradiol NS or Estrace cream. Further, we demonstrate compatibility of the estradiol NS with vaginal bacteria in vitro. We demonstrate that a Pluronic F127-coated estradiol NS may be a viable option for the treatment of post-menopausal vaginal atrophy.

Antimicrobial of tropical fruit and vegetable waste extract for food-borne pathogenic bacteria.

Tropical fruit and vegetable wastes become great potential natural resources of bioactive compounds for antimicrobial. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of antimicrobial extracted from tropical fruit and vegetable waste to inhibit foodborne pathogenic bacteria (Aeromonas hydrophilla, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus). A total of six tropical fruit waste (peel of pineapple, jackfruit, durian, coffee, mangosteen, and cacao pods) and five tropical vegetable waste (stem of sembukan, lamtoro pods, jengkol shell, bitter bean pods, Indian marsh fleabane leave) was extracted by using maceration method. The antimicrobial activity of extracts was carried out by using disc diffusion assay and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration. The flavonoids in extract were identified and quantified by using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. The highest antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (B. cereus, L. monocytogenes and S. aureus) was shown by jengkol, bitter bean and mangosteen waste extract in the range of 0,00038 to 4,2% for MIC. The highest antimicrobial activity inhibits Gram-negative bacteria (A. hydrophilla, E. coli, S. Typhimurium and V. parahaemolyticus) was shown by jengkol, bitter bean, mangosteen, sembukan and lamtoro waste extract in the range of 0,00038 to 3,1% for MIC which have apigenin, catechin, coumaric acid, gallic acid, genistein, hydroxybenzoic acids, luteolin, myricetin, naringenin dan quercetin as bioactive compounds. Total phenol of those waste extracts was in the range of 0.663 to 4,441 mg GAE/g. Jengkol, bitter bean, mangosteen, sembukan and lamtoro waste extract shown to be a potential natural antimicrobial to inhibit food-borne pathogenic bacteria.