The purpose of this non-controlled Investigator Initiated Trail (IIT), with a retrospective design is to evaluate the performance and safety of the vaginal administration of tocopherol acetate (vitamin E) in pre-peri and postmenopausal women. The main objectives of the study will be the evaluation of the vaginal pH, of the vaginal eubiosis improving the lactobacilli flora and microbiota, and of sign and symptoms of women. The patients were visited at baseline (with the collection of vaginal swabs) and treated with vaginal administration of tocopherol acetate for 14 days. At the end of treatment (final visit) the patients were visited with the collection of vaginal swabs.
The vaginal microbiota has a significant bearing on a woman's mental and physical health at every stage of life. A balanced microflora of the vaginal environment (eubiosis) consists of a predominant presence of lactic acid bacteria. Lactobacilli ensure the maintenance of an acidic pH that effectively makes the environment inhospitable to pathogens by preventing infection and protecting the genital tract. At the end of the reproductive period, the reduction of sex hormones, particularly estrogen, results in a decrease in the lactobacillus component with consequent depletion of the vaginal microbiota and increased susceptibility to pathogens. Tocopherol (vitamin E) is an essential human nutrient found mainly in oily fruits. It is a fat-soluble molecule with high antioxidant power. Topically administered, it not only plays a key role in protecting epithelial cell membranes from oxidative damage but is also able to modulate bacterial growth by contributing to pH acidification. The latter feature, in the vaginal canal, creates a favorable environment for the lactobacilli flora, positively affecting the microbial population and thus contributing to the prevention of all those problems related to increased vaginal sensitivity to pathogens during "menopause." In addition, recent data show that vitamin E can counteract the production of biofilm produced by certain pathogens, which has detrimental effects on the homeostasis of the vaginal environment. The period of observation is from January 1st, 2020 to December, 31st, 2022, while the Data Collection period will be from June, 30th, 2023 to July, 31st, 2023
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
50
Administration of tocopherol (Filme Gyno-V® Vaginal Ovules) for 14 days
Acidity measure of vaginal secretions
It is assessed by Investigator during the medical examination using a pH strip (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) with a range of 4.0 (acidic) to 7.0 (alkaline). The strip is placed on the lateral walls of the vagina to avoid contact with alkaline cervical secretions. The Investigator dip the pH test strip in the vaginal secretion for two seconds. The more acidic the vaginal secretion, the more red the strip turns, and the more alkaline the vaginal secretion, the more blue the strip turns. This provides a semiquantitative measure of pH by visually comparing the four reaction zones on the test strip to the areas of the colour scale. pH measurement serves as an indicator of the vaginal environment and the balance of microorganisms present.
Time frame: 14 days
Rate of vaginal mucosa dryness
Change from baseline to 14 days assessed by the Investigator during the medical examination using a 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS) where 0 is no dryness, and 10 is the maximum dryness.
Time frame: 14 days
Rate of vaginal mucosal integrity
Change from baseline to 14 days assessed by the Investigator during the medical examination and scored by an ordinal scale as follows: 0 = normal, 1 = superficial bleeding after scraping, 2 = superficial bleeding with light touching and 3 = presence of petechiae bleeding with light touching
Time frame: 14 days
Rate of mucosa pallor
Change from baseline to 14 days assessed by the Investigator during the medical examination and scored by a ordinal scale as follows: 0 = no pallor, 1 = slight pallor, 2 = moderate pallor, and 3 = pallor of severe intensity
Time frame: 14 days
Quantity of vaginal discharge assessment
Change from baseline to 14 days assessed by the Investigator during the medical examination and scored by a ordinal scale as follows: 0 =normal discharge overall vaginal walls, 1 = discharge covering of the vaginal walls, 2 = Scanty discharge that do not cover the entire vaginal walls, and 3 = no vaginal discharge
Time frame: 14 days
Whiff test
Change from baseline to 14 days evaluated by the following procedure: after medical examination, a sample of the vaginal discharge is placed on a glass slide, and a drop of 10% potassium hydroxide (10%KOH) is added to evaluate the presence of a fishy odour caused by the release of amine. A positive Whiff test occurs when an unpleasant odour is detected after applying the KOH solution, indicating the presence of amines. A negative Whiff test suggests the absence of this characteristic odour.
Time frame: 14 days
Rate of Lactobacillus grade according to Ison Hay's classification by bacterioscopic smear
Change from baseline to 14 days of the grade according to the modified Ison-Hay scoring system: grade 0, epithelial cells with no bacteria; grade 1, normal vaginal flora (lactobacillus morphotypes alone); grade II, reduced numbers of lactobacillus morphotypes with mixed bacterial flora; grade III, mixed bacterial flora only, few or absent lactobacillus morphotypes; grade IV, Gram-positive cocci only.
Time frame: 14 days
Microbiological evaluation by culture examination of the vaginal swab
Change from baseline to 14 days evaluated by the following procedure: the Investigator takes samples of mucus and cells from the endocervix by a swab. The samples are placed in a culture dish for a processing time of 48-72 hours to identify the presence of specific microorganisms.
Time frame: 14 days
Molecular sequencing-based microbiological analysis of vaginal microbiota by next-generation sequencing (NGS) method.
The following procedure evaluates change from baseline to 14 days: the swab is rotated in the vagina and transferred immediately on dry ice; after the sample is collected and preserved in a Copan FLOQ Sampling tube (Copan Diagnostics, Murrieta, CA, USA) at - 80 °C; the extracted DNAs are stored at - 80 °C; the sequencing is performed through the Shotgun sequencing approach. The libraries are prepared using the Illumina DNA Prep kit. The sequencing is conducted through the Illumina Novaseq 6000 system based on 2 x 150 bp paired-end reads. the raw reads across the samples sequences are used as input for the data analysis and finally to compare the microbiota of studied patients' groups.
Time frame: 14 days
Serious Adverse Device Effects / Serious Adverse Events /Adverse Device Effects/ Adverse Events
The number of participants with treatment-related adverse events will be assessed by CTCAE v6.0
Time frame: 14 days
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