concanavalin-a and Candidiasis--Oral

Therapeutic activity against oral candidiasis of orally administered bovine lactoferrin (LF), a multifunctional milk protein, was shown in a previous report using an immunosuppressed murine model. In the present study, the influence of orally administered LF on immune responses relevant to this therapeutic effect was examined. Because mice were immunosuppressed with prednisolone 1 day before and 3 days after the infection with Candida, the numbers of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) and cervical lymph node (CLN) cells were reduced. LF feeding prevented the reduction in the numbers of PBL on day 1 and CLN cells on days 1, 5 and 6 in the Candida-infected mice. The number of CLN cells of individual mice on days 5 and 6 was inversely correlated with the Candida c.f.u. in the oral cavity. Increased production of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha by CLN cells stimulated with heat-killed Candida albicans on day 6 was observed in LF-treated mice compared with non-treated mice. Concanavalin A (ConA)-stimulated CLN cells from LF-treated mice also showed a significant increase in the production of IFN-gamma and IL12 on day 5 and a tendency for increased production of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha on day 6. The levels of cytokine production by ConA-stimulated CLN cells on day 6 were inversely correlated with the Candida c.f.u. in the oral cavity. In conclusion, the alleviation of oral candidiasis by LF feeding in this model may correlate with the enhancement of the number of leukocytes and their cytokine responses in regional lymph nodes against Candida infection.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Administration, Oral; Animals; Antifungal Agents; Candida albicans; Candidiasis, Oral; Cells, Cultured; Concanavalin A; Cytokines; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Immunocompromised Host; Lactoferrin; Leukocyte Count; Leukocytes; Lymph Nodes; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Mouth Mucosa; Prednisolone; Time Factors

Although oral candidiasis is frequently seen in the elderly, the factors determining candidal growth have insufficiently been explored. Hence, we examined the influence of aging on candidal adhesion and growth-inhibitory agents in saliva in 45 healthy volunteers and 60 patients with oral candidiasis. Both non-stimulated and stimulated salivary flow rates (SFRs) in the healthy controls decreased with aging. A gradual decrease of SFRs with aging was also observed in the patients, and the SFR levels were markedly lower than those in the controls. Although the salivary glucose levels were almost constant in all age groups, secretory immunoglobulin A and lactoferrin levels in saliva were significantly decreased statistically with age, and a marginal age-associated decrease in transferrin levels was also observed. In addition, the generation of superoxide from neutrophils in saliva and their Candida killing activity decreased with age, and these phenomena were more apparent in the patients. Furthermore, a larger number of Candida adhered to oral keratinocytes obtained from the elderly healthy controls than to those obtained from young controls. Correspondingly, keratinocytes from the aged controls showed more concanavalin-A binding sites than those from the young controls. However, oral Candida did not increase with increasing age in the controls, although an age-associated increase of oral Candida was observed in the patients. Taken together, these results indicate that the decreases of SFRs and salivary anti-candidal factors, suppression of salivary neutrophil function and the increase of candidal adhesion sites on keratinocytes predispose elderly individuals to oral candidiasis.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Candida albicans; Candidiasis, Oral; Cell Culture Techniques; Colony Count, Microbial; Concanavalin A; Female; Glucose; Humans; Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; Keratinocytes; Lactoferrin; Male; Middle Aged; Mouth Mucosa; Neutrophils; Receptors, Concanavalin A; Risk Factors; Saliva; Secretory Rate; Statistics as Topic; Superoxides; Transferrin

Immunological and mycological investigations were carried out in 21 Swedish homosexual males. One of them had AIDS, one pre-AIDS and 19 lymphadenopathy of whom 18 fulfilled the criteria of persistent generalized lymphadenopathy (PGL) as defined by the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, (CDC). The patients were investigated immunologically with respect to their in vitro lymphocyte reactivity to various mitogens. The patients with AIDS and pre-AIDS belonged to the group of 8 patients with low response to mitogens. Blood helper T cell percentages and serum beta 2-microglobulin concentrations correlated with the PHA reactivity. Three patients, with the diagnoses AIDS, pre-AIDS and PGL respectively, had clinical signs of oral candidiasis with rich growth of Candida albicans in culture. These were all low responders to mitogen stimulation. Six cases of tinea pedis were diagnosed and seemed to be distributed among the patients irrespectively of the severity of their immunological disorders.

Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Adult; beta 2-Microglobulin; Candidiasis, Oral; Concanavalin A; Dermatomycoses; Homosexuality; Humans; Lymphatic Diseases; Lymphocyte Activation; Male; Middle Aged; Phytohemagglutinins; Pokeweed Mitogens; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer; Tinea Pedis

Topics: Candida albicans; Candidiasis, Oral; Central Nervous System Diseases; Child, Preschool; Concanavalin A; Eczema; Epithelium; Humans; Infant; Lymphoma; Male; Phytohemagglutinins; Pokeweed Mitogens; Recurrence; Rosette Formation; Thymus Gland; Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome