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Vaginitis (Candida/Yeast Infection)
Published in Charles Theisler, Adjuvant Medical Care, 2023
Boric Acid: Intravaginal boric acid has been employed for over a 100 years to treat vaginal infections. Boric acid is inexpensive, accessible, and has shown to be an effective treatment for infections including vaginal candidiasis.4
Insecticides
Published in Frank A. Barile, Barile’s Clinical Toxicology, 2019
Boric acid has numerous traditional therapeutic and commercial uses as a topical astringent (for minor swelling), as an ophthalmic bacteriostatic agent (in over-the-counter eye wash solutions), and as a topical antiseptic, herbicide, and insecticide. As a commercial, nontherapeutic product, the substance is an effective detergent, cleaning aid, flame retardant, herbicide, and insecticide, primarily useful as an “ant and roach killer.” The undiluted powder is mixed in water with more palatable substances, such as flour or granular sugar, to attract the bugs. Consequently, its easy availability, accessibility, and similarity to products such as infant formulas have facilitated its ability to interchange with these substances. This ease of confusion with other products accounts for the persistent number of poisoning cases. It has also been inadvertently substituted in solution for Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate powder) and mistakenly used as a muscle relaxant.
Drug Therapy in Otology
Published in John C Watkinson, Raymond W Clarke, Louise Jayne Clark, Adam J Donne, R James A England, Hisham M Mehanna, Gerald William McGarry, Sean Carrie, Basic Sciences Endocrine Surgery Rhinology, 2018
Acetic acid 2% has antifungal and antibacterial properties and can be used to treat mild otitis externa. Aluminium acetate is an astringent that can be applied as drops or onto a gauze wick. An astringent is an agent that causes shrinkage or constriction and is usually applied topically. The hydroscopic effect reduces oedema in the inflamed ear canal, opening the meatus. Aluminium acetate has a tendency to form crystals in the ear. Regular aural toilet is required to remove both the crystals that form as well as the debris produced by the inflammatory process. This treatment can be safely used in pregnancy. Boric acid has been used in the past for its weak fungistatic and bacteriostatic activity and is used as a mild disinfectant in lotions, ointments and powders in concentrations of up to 5%. It is absorbed through damaged skin and may cause systemic toxicity. Acute and chronic toxicity can occur, presenting with gastrointestinal disturbance, rash, central nervous system and renal involvement that may result in death. Slow excretion of boric acid can lead to cumulative toxicity during repeated use.
Assessment of consumer exposure to boron in cleaning products: a case study of Canada
Published in Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 2021
Paul C. DeLeo, Sharon B. Stuard, Owen Kinsky, Christine Thiffault, Brittany Baisch
Boron is an essential mineral for plants, and as such, is a normal dietary constituent for humans. Boron is primarily absorbed as boric acid and is a required micronutrient for plant growth, development, and seed quality (Pilbeam and Kirkby 1983; Marschner 1995; Hu and Brown 1997; Brown et al. 1999; Dordas et al. 2007). There are indications of the involvement of boron in cell wall structure, cell membrane integrity, sugar metabolism, biological membrane bindings, conversion of glucose 1-phosphate sugars to starch, and metabolism of nucleic acids (Schon and Blevins 1990; Hu and Brown 1994; Marschner 1995; Cakmak and Römheld 1997; Brown et al. 2002). In addition, boron is also known to be an essential micronutrient for the development and reproduction of some animals such as the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis; Fort et al. 1998, 2002) and some fish species. Tests conducted with low boron-concentration water and water supplemented with boric acid have shown that boron is essential for zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo development and stimulates the growth of embryonic rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) via its ability to bind to cellular cis-diols such as ribose (Eckhert 1998, as cited by ECCC/HC 2016; Rowe and Eckhert 1999, as cited by ECCC/HC 2016).
Boron’s neurophysiological effects and tumoricidal activity on glioblastoma cells with implications for clinical treatment
Published in International Journal of Neuroscience, 2019
Meric A. Altinoz, Gulacti Topcu, İlhan Elmaci
At acute exposures, boric acid, Na-, ammonium-, K- and Zn-borates generally exert low toxicity orally, dermally and by inhalation; and they are mild skin and eye irritants [23]. Toxicological investigations performed in longer intervals were declared mainly on boric acid or borax, where the features were usually similar on an equivalent boron (B) basis. Humans would ingest daily around 3.3 g of boric acid (or 5.0 g borax) to consume the same dose as the lowest animal NOAEL; and fertility parameters were not detrimentally effected in workers exposed to boron analogs or to subjects exposed to high levels of environmental boron [23]. A high similarity exists in the toxicology of boric acid and borax across species, whereas different toxicological features may be encountered with exposure to borates which do not dissociate to boric acid [23]. Boric acid and borax were applied at huge doses (1 to 14 g/d) for prolonged periods for infections including malaria, urinary tract infection, and exudative pleuritis from the mid-1800s to around 1940 [23]. These huge doses resulted in symptoms, which included alopecia, dermatitis, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite and epileptic convulsions. Dose reduction to 1 g/d resulted in the disappearing of the symptoms; and in all cases, treatment cessation provided recovery without residual sequelae [23].
Effects of boron-containing compounds on immune responses: review and patenting trends
Published in Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents, 2019
Karla S. Romero-Aguilar, Ivonne M. Arciniega-Martínez, Eunice D. Farfán-García, Rafael Campos-Rodríguez, Aldo A. Reséndiz-Albor, Marvin A. Soriano-Ursúa
Boric acid has been suggested for use in the treatment of some autoimmune diseases, but no clear evidence of its efficacy exists. As BCCs have been suggested to modulate sex-hormone levels [115], these compounds may be able to modulate the mechanisms involved in disease progression [116]. The PDE4 inhibitor crisaborole (25) has been approved for the treatment of psoriasis and atopic dermatitis due to inhibition of PDE4B, which appears to suppress the release of TNF-α, IL-12, IL-23 and other cytokines involved in an autoimmune-like process that occurs in the skin. PDE4 inhibitors exert effects on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis by decreasing IFNγ+/CD3+ Th1 cells and IL-17+/CD3+ Th17 cells and increasing regulatory B cells and regulatory T cells [117–119]. In addition, ixazomib (5) has been tested for use in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and lupus nephritis, and its desirable effects – ameliorating experimental GVHD in mice – may result from the promotion of suppressor T cell generation [120,121].