Master i farmasi May Wenche Jøraholmen disputerer for ph.d.-graden i helsevitenskap og vil offentlig forsvare avhandlingen:
“Surface modification of liposomes increases drug efficacy in local vaginal therapy”
Kort sammendrag av avhandlingen:
Vaginal infections are common in women of all ages; in pregnant women, they are associated with serious consequences such as infertility, preterm delivery, increased neonatal mortality and morbidity. Untreated or poorly treated infections lead to inflammation and often malignancy. Recent reports show a significant increase in sexually transmitted infections in 2014, the first such rise since 2006. In spite of the increasing incidence and serious consequences, the therapeutic options remain to be limited. Current dosage forms such as creams, foams, gels and tablets suffer from limited residence time at administration site and leakage due to the self-cleansing action of the vagina resulting in reduced therapeutic effect. Resveratrol is a natural-origin substance, commonly found in the grape skin, juice and red wine. Among many promising activities, such as anti-viral, it also exhibits strong anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and its local administration has a potential in treatment of vaginal inflammation. However, it is poorly water-soluble and its bioavailability and stability are rather limited. Therefore, there is a need for a suitable drug delivery system that not only enables its controlled delivery, but also offers protection from environmental and chemical changes.
The aim of this part of my PhD project was the development of a mucoadhesive drug delivery system for improved topical therapy. Liposomes are spherical vesicles that form spontaneously when phospholipids interacts with water that enables the incorporation of poorly soluble compounds. Liposomal resveratrol exhibited stronger anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities as compared to resveratrol solution. We confirmed our hypothesis that the mucoadhesive liposomes may assure prolonged retention time at vaginal site and prolonged and controlled resveratrol release properties, enhancing its activity. This will, subsequently, improve the patient compliance due to less frequent dosing as well as maximize the effect. The system seems to be safe to be applied to pregnant patients. This PhD project was funded by Norske Kvinners Sanitetsforening (Norwegian Women’s Public Health Association).
(Avhandlingen er tilgjengelig for utlån hos Seksjon for forskningstjenester frem til disputasdato)
Veiledere
Hovedveileder professor Natasa Skalko-Basnet
Biveileder professor Purustoam Basnet
Biveileder professor Ganesh Acharya
Biveileder professor Ingunn Tho
Bedømmelseskomiteen
Professor Claudio Rossi, Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, Italia – 1. opponent
Professor Marianne Hiorth, Seksjon for farmasi, Farmasøytisk Institutt, UiO – 2. opponent
Førsteamanuensis Guro Forsdahl, Institutt for farmasi, Det helsevitenskapelige fakultet, UiT – Norges arktiske universitet – leder av komité
Disputasleder
Instituttleder Thrina Loennechen, Institutt for farmasi, Det helsevitenskapelige fakultet, Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet
Prøveforelesning over oppgitt emne holdes kl. 10.15, samme sted: “Formulation and potential of natural antioxidants; Principles, design and future prospects”