Vaginal physiology

The present review highlights human vagina as a valuable route of drug delivery due to its large permeation area, rich vascularization, avoidance of first pass metabolism and relatively low enzymatic activity designed for achieving both local and systemic applications. Vagina is the best route used for administration of drugs like antifungal, contraceptives steroids, peptides and antifungal drugs. The rate and extent of drug absorption through vaginal route may fluctuate depending upon vaginal physiology, age of patients, stage of menstrual cycle, pathological conditions, and formulation factors. This route offers the ease of convenience, good blood supply, absence of GIT and hepatic first pass metabolism and permeability to large molecular weight drugs. Several drawbacks like personal hygiene, gender specificity, cultural sensitivity and local irritation need to be considered while the designing the vaginal formulation. Thus, purpose of this study is to provide the summary of advances undergone in the field of vaginal drug delivery currently available in the market and challenges associated with systemic delivery of drug via vaginal route. This review also highlights the benefits of vaginal route as drug delivery.