Human vagina

A number of excellent articles have been published detailing the anatomy and physiology of the human vagina [1-4], and therefore only a brief overview is provided here. 

Major Species of Microorganisms Present in the Human Vagina... 

Barnhart, K.T., E.S. Pretorius, and D. Malamud. 2004. Lesson learned and dispelled myths Three-dimensional imaging of the human vagina. Fertil Steril 81 1383. 

Barnhart, K.T., et al. 2001. Distribution of topical medication in the human vagina as imaged by magnetic resonance imaging. Fert Steril 76 189. 

Patton, D.L., et al. 2000. Epithelial cell layer thickness and immune cell populations in the normal human vagina at different stages of the menstrual cycle. Am J Obstet Gynecol 183 967. 

Burgos, M.H., and R. de Vargas-Linares. 1978. Ultrastructure of the vaginal mucosa. In The human vagina, eds. E.S.E. Hafez and T.N. Evans, 63-93. Amsterdam Elsevier/North Holland Biomedical Press. 

Odeblad, E. 1964. Intracavity circulation of aqueous material in the human vagina. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 43 360. 

Human vagina is an S-shaped fibromuscular collapsible tube, 6-10 cm long, extending from cervix to uterus and located between the bladder and the rectum [1], It presents unique features in terms of secretions (pH and composition) and microflora, which must be considered during the development and the evaluation of vaginal drug delivery systems [2],... 

Thompson, I.O.C., et al. 2001. A comparative light-microscopic, electron-microscopic and chemical study of human vagina and buccal epithelium. Arch Oral Biol 46 1091. 

Lin X, Paskaleva EE, Chang W et al (2011) Inhibition of HIV-1 infection in ex vivo cervical tissue model of human vagina by palmitic acid implications for a microbicide development. PLoS One 6 e24803... 

Hafez E.S.E. and Evans T.N. (eds) (1978) The Human Vagina. Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press, Amsterdam. Okada, H. (1991) Vaginal route of peptide and protein drug delivery. In Peptide and Protein Drug Delivery (V.H.L. Lee, ed.). Marcel Dekker, New York, pp. 633-666. 

FIGURE 7 X-ray image of vaginal ring after placement in human vagina. (Reprinted with permission from K. Malcolm et alJournal of Controlled Release, 90,217-225,2003. Copyright 2003 by Elsevier.)... 

Pendergrass, P. B., Belovicz, M. W., and Reeves, C. A. (2003), Surface area of the human vagina as measured from vinyl polysiloxane casts, Gynecol. Obstet. Invest., 55,110-113. 

Patton, D. L., Thwin, S. S., Meier, A., Hooton, T. M., Stapleton, A. E., and Eschenbach, D. A. (2000), Epithelial cell layer thickness and immune cell populations in the normal human vagina at different stages of the menstrual cycle, Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol., 183, 967-973. 

Robinson, G. D. (1925), Absorption from the human vagina, BJOG, 32,496-504. 

The human vagina, a fibromuscular tube 10-15 cm long, extends upwards and backwards from the vulva to the lower uterine cervix. Blood is supplied to the vagina via the uterine and pudendal arteries, and is drained from the vagina by a rich plexus, which flows into the internal iliac veins. The surface of the vaginal epithelium is kept moist by cervical secretions. The pH of vaginal fluid is 4-5. 

This article describes the physiology of the human vagina, its characteristics of absorption, and its permeability. The reader will also be familiarized with current research trends in vaginal delivery and absorption of drugs. 

Platzer, W. Poisel, W. Hafez, E.S.E. Evans, T.N. Functional anatomy of the human vagina. In The Human Vagina, North Holland Publishing Co. New York, 1978 39-53. 

The Human Vagina North Holland Publishing Co. New York, 1978. 

Preti, G., Huggins, G.R., in The Human Vagina, ed. E. Hafez and T. Evans, Elsevier/North Holland Biomedical Press, 1978. 

Bonsall, R.W., and R.P. Michael Volatile Odoriferous Acids in Vaginal Fluid. In E.S.E. Hafez and T.N. Evans eds. The Human Vagina, p. 167-177. Amsterdam North Holland/Elsevier. 1978. 

Ringitore, E.V., Hebert, E.M., Nader-Macias, M.E., and Sesma, F. (2009). Characterization of sahvaridn CRL 1328, a two-peptide bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus salivarius CRL 1328 isolated from the human vagina. Res Microbiol 160, 401-408. 

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