Mucoadhesive hyaluronic acid-based films for vaginal delivery of metronidazole

Bacterial vaginosis is a prevalent women's health issue that affects millions of women worldwide every year; however, current treatments are often messy, inconvenient, and ineffective. Therefore, we developed a new hyaluronic acid-based film to deliver metronidazole that would be more effective, more convenient, and at a pH similar to that of the normal vaginal environment. Films were made by crosslinking modified hyaluronic acid to create a hydrogel, in which metronidazole or metronidazole benzoate and methylcellulose were incorporated, and the hydrogel was dried to a thin film. Through release testing, coupled with assessments of handleability, tensile strength, and mucoadhesion, it was determined that the films have the potential to remain in the vaginal environment for an extended time period and gradually release the drug for at least 6 days, which is a typical treatment length. As such, the films present a viable alternative to current treatment methods, allowing for both easy handling and a single treatment while eliminating the issues of pH and overall inconvenience.