Immune Response, Detection of IgE and PGE2 during Vaginal Candidiasis in Mice

Abstract

Vulvovaginal candidiasis is an opportunistic infection that affects most women in adult life, but the defense mechanism remains to be elucidated. Animals treated with estradiol were inoculated with Candida albicans having high virulence power. The experimental control consisted of animal groups treated with estradiol and animals without treatment that were inoculated with physiologic serum. The vaginal wall was collected, at different times. The material was destined to the counting of Colony Forming Units (CFU), detection of PGE2, IgE and histological staining (hematoxylin and eosin, silver and toluidine blue) for the study of the infected vaginal section. Experimental infection was predominant due to hyphae and pseudohyphae parasitism, involving the keratinized layer of the vaginal stratified squamous epithelium, without compromise submucosal or muscular layer. Furthermore, it was observed mast and polymorphonuclear cells on vaginal tissue in response to the infection. On the other hand, IgE and PGE2 participated in the response to experimental C. albicans vaginal infection. The raise in these mediators matches with the load fungal increase during the infection evolution and with the presence of mast cell. These results suggest a probable atopic component involved in the vaginal candidiasis pathogenesis.