A Review-Vaginal Drug Delivery System

Abstract

The vagina is an important application site for drug delivery, especially for local therapy of different diseases, such as bacterial, fungal and protozoa infections, for HIV prevention, delivery of contraceptives, spermicides or labor-inducers and for the treatment of precancerous lesions. It may also serve an alternative route for systemic drug delivery. In recent years, the vaginal route has been rediscovered as a potential route for systemic delivery of peptides and other therapeutically important macromolecules. A great deal of interest has been notice in the design and application of different dosage forms via the vaginal route. Several studies have proven that the vagina is an effective route for drug administration intended mainly for local action, but systemic effects of some drugs also can be attained. The major advantages of this route include accessibility, good blood supply, the ability to bypass first-pass liver metabolism, and permeability to large molecular weight drugs, such as peptides and proteins. This review, therefore, summarizes various vaginal drug delivery systems with an introduction to vaginal physiology and factors affecting drug absorption from the vaginal route.