Mouse B defensins regulation during Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC)

MIRÓ MARÍA SOLEDAD; ICELY PAULA ALEJANDRA; CLAUDIA ELENA SOTOMAYOR

Los Cocos

Congreso; LXI reunión científica anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Inmunología; 2013

Sociedad Argentina de Inmunología

Candida albicans (Ca) is a common commensal of mucosal surfaces and the most frequent cause of VVC. Antimicrobial peptides like β-defensins (BDs) are a crucial component of the host defence at mucosal epithelia. BDs exert antimicrobial and chemoattractant activities. Human BD1 (mouse BD1 orthologous) is constitutively expressed in normal tissue, while BD3 (mouse BD14 orthologous) can be induced by inflammation and microorganisms. Herein, we aimed to study Ca ability to modulate local expression of BDs in mouse models of VVC. Female TLR2-KO and C57BL/6 wt mice were used. Estrus phase was induced by estradiol injections. Infected animals (Inf) were intravaginally inoculated with 5.106 Ca ATCC 36801 at day (D) 0. Untreated uninfected mice were included as controls. At different D of infection, vaginal lavage was obtained to evaluate fungal burden (CFU) and cytokine levels (ELISA); vaginas were removed for histological studies (PAS) and RNA analisys. At D2 fungal burden in WT was lower than KO (p