02189naa a2200301 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902200130006002400540007310000230012724501750015026000090032530000120033452012780034665300110162465300260163565300190166170000160168070000170169670000170171370000220173070000180175270000250177070000190179570000170181470000180183177300380184921322392022-06-10       2021    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d  a172-70617 ahttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2021.02.0292DOI1 aFACCHINATTO, W. M.  aClotrimazole-loaded N-(2-hydroxy)-propyl-3-trimethylammonium, O-palmitoyl chitosan nanoparticles for topical treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis.h[electronic resource]  c2021  a312?321  aVulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) represents a considerable health burden for women. Despite the availability of a significant array of antifungal drugs and topical products, the management of the infection is not always effective, and new approaches are needed. Here, we explored cationic N-(2-hydroxy)- propyl-3-trimethylammonium, O-palmitoyl chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) as carriers of clotrimazole (CLT) for the topical treatment of VVC. CLT-NPs with approximately 280 nm in diameter were obtained by selfassembly in water and subsequent stabilization by ionic crosslinking with tripolyphosphate. The nanosystem featured pH-independent sustained drug release up to 24 h, which affected both in vitro anti-Candida activity and cytotoxicity. The CLT-loaded nanostructured platform yielded favorable selectivity index values for a panel of standard strains and clinical isolates of Candida spp. and female genital tract cell lines (HEC-1-A, Ca Ski and HeLa), as compared to the free drug. CLT-NPs also improved in vitro drug permeability across HEC-1-A and Ca Ski cell monolayers, thus suggesting that the nanocarrier may provide higher mucosal tissue levels of the active compound. Overall, data support that CLT-NPs may be a valuable asset for the topical treatment of VVC.  aHealth  aVaginal drug delivery  aWomen s health1 aGALANTE, J.1 aMESQUITA, L.1 aSILVA, D. S.1 aSANTOS, D. M. dos1 aMORAES, T. B.1 aCAMPANA-FILHO, S. P.1 aCOLNAGO, L. A.1 aSARMENTO, B.1 aNEVES, J. das  tActa Biomaterialiagv. 125, 2021.