The concept of ‘vaginal health’ as the vaginal state in which the physiological conditions and the vaginal microenvironment and microbiota are not disrupted, has gained increasing interest in recent years and is also being extended to healthy women. Aim of this study was to assess the effect of a 12-day treatment using a vaginal gel based on niosomes containing hyaluronic acid, ß-glucan, alpha-glucan oligosaccharide, Coriolus versicolor, Asian centella, Azadirachta indica and Aloe vera on vaginal microbiota, cervical epithelization and vaginal health.
Open-label, prospective pilot study conducted in asymptomatic women in daily practice. Cervical epithelization was evaluated by colposcopy using an ectopy epithelization score (from 5: no ectopy to 1: severe ectopy and bleeding), vaginal microbiota using the VaginaStatus-Diagnostic test (Instiüt für Mikroökologie, Herborn, Germany) and further rated by the investigator using a 5-point Liker scale (from 5: normal to 1: very severe deterioration in which all evaluated species were altered), and vaginal health using the Vaginal Health Index.
In 21 women, a positive effect to improve epithelization of the cervical mucosa, with a mean score of 4.42 at the final visit as compared to 3.09 at baseline (P < 0.0001) (43% improvement). In 10 women, there was a trend of improving of vaginal microbiota status, with a mean score of 4.0 at the final visit vs. 3.3 at baseline (P = NS) (21.2% improvement). In 11 women, the Vaginal Health Index increased from 19.0 at baseline to 22.3 at the final visit (P = 0.007) (17.3% improvement). The concentration of Lactobacillus spp. increased 54.5% of women and pH decreased from 4.32 to 4.09.
| Baseline | Final | Mean improving | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cervix epithelization score* (n=21) | 3.09 | 4.42 | 43% | <0.0001 |
| Vaginal Microbiota status* (n=10) | 3.3 | 4.0 | 21.2% | ns |
| Vaginal Health Index** (n=11) | 19.0 | 22.3 | 17.3% | 0.007 |
* see methods to scale values **Bachmann Vaginal Health Index
In a pilot study conducted among asymptomatic women, the use of a vaginal gel based on Coriolus versicolor and other ingredients such as niosomes containing hyaluronic acid, ß-glucan, alpha-glucan oligosaccharide, Asian centella, Azadirachta indica and Aloe vera for 12 consecutive days showed positive effects toward improving vaginal microbiota, cervical epithelization and vaginal health. Further studies must be conducted to confirm these positive results, as well as to evaluate the potential use in human papilloma virus infection.