A ring instead of a condom
The use of condoms is the best protection against HIV infection, but for situations where a woman is unable to agree on the use of condoms, researchers from the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy have created an intravaginal ring capable of releasing drugs that inhibit HIV infection. The ring delivers two drugs: hydroxychloroquine and anti-CCR5 miRNA, a tool for gene therapy developed by the group in previous studies. Both drugs target different aspects of the HIV infection process.
The ring is made of medical plastic and contains two separate sections. One section is solid and coated with a pH-sensitive polymer that releases nanoparticles containing anti-CCR5 miRNA directly during sexual intercourse. The other section is a hollow ring with micropores that slowly releases hydroxychloroquine for 25 days.
The intravaginal ring consists of two halves, each of which releases drugs that prevent HIV infection at different times.
Hydroxychloroquine is the first line of defense, it reduces the activation of immune cells, reducing the number of target cells for HIV. This allows you to gain time for gene therapy, which is launched directly during sexual intercourse to further suppress the expression of cellular receptors to which viruses attach.
The presence of sperm increases the pH of the female genital tract, which activates the "smart" pH-dependent segment of the intravaginal ring and leads to the release of nanoparticles containing anti-CCR5 miRNA.
The unique, segmented design of the ring showed its effectiveness in laboratory tests: the segment with hydroxychloroquine slowly released the drug for 25 days, and the segment with anti-CCR5 siRNA reacted to the presence of seminal fluid, releasing 12 times more of the drug than in the environment of vaginal fluid alone.
The system also demonstrated a lack of cytotoxicity for vaginal epithelial cells.
The researchers plan to test the intravaginal ring against HIV in animal models.
Article by Y.L.Traore et al. Segmented intravaginal ring for the combination delivery of hydroxychloroquine and anti-CCR5 siRNA nanoparticles as a potential strategy for preventing HIV infection is published in the journal Drug Delivery and Translational Research.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru according to the materials of the University of Waterloo: "Smart" segmented ring device delivers medicines to stop HIV transmission.