Development of a female controlled drug delivery system containing microbicide against STD

In this study, a female controlled drug delivery system for the prevention of STD was developed. Carbopol and HPMC were selected as the gel base for sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), the microbicide. A vaginal fluid simulant (VFS) was utilized to simulate human vaginal environment. The viscosity of gel system and VFS was examined using a cone and plate viscometer. The surface tension of VFS was measured using a capillary rise method. The effect of carbopol on the conformational changes of rat vaginal membrane was investigated using DSC analysis. The release profile of SDS from FcDDS was evaluated in a newly developed in vitro Simulant Vaginal System (SVS) and the major parameters involved in release were investigated.; The optimal viscosity value was achieved at 1.5% carbopol with 1.5% HPMC. Mucin played an important role in producing surface tension of VFS. Carbopol showed good biocompatibility in DSC study. In most conditions, around 70% of the loading dose of SDS was released from FcDDS within 6 hrs of application. The intrinsic variables and insertion position played an essential role in determining the release profile of SDS, while loading dose of SDS did not significantly affect the percentage release of SDS. Thus, FcDDS can be exploited as a well-controllable intravaginal system for the prevention of STD.