lactoferrin and AIDS-Related-Opportunistic-Infections

This study aimed to evaluate the concentration of lactoferrin in the saliva of HIV infected and healthy children and analyze the associations between lactoferrin levels, Candida sp. colonization, oral manifestations and medical data. Also, the antifungal ability of lactoferrin to inhibit the growth of Candida albicans isolated from saliva of these children was investigated in vitro.. Saliva was collected from 70 HIV-infected and 50 healthy children, followed by oral manifestation assessments. The salivary lactoferrin was quantified using an ELISA Kit. The salivary samples were cultured and the Candida spp. colonies counted and then identified by sugar assimilation and fermentation. The antifungal activity of lactoferrin was analyzed in vitro with 10 isolates of C. albicans from each group.. The HIV infected children (mean age 9.8 ± 2.8) had higher lactoferrin levels (median 6.13 μg/ml (3.58-7.89)) and were colonized three times more by Candida sp. than the control group (mean age 9.4 ± 2.4) (median 5.74 μg/ml (3.12-6.86)) (p=0.003). Statistical associations were found considering the salivary lactoferrin levels and Candida sp. and oral manifestations between the groups. No associations between lactoferrin concentrations and oral manifestations, immunosuppression, presence of AIDS and use of HAART were observed in the HIV group. The percentage of dead C. albicans due to lactoferrin was inversely proportional to C. albicans cell density for both groups (p<0.001).. HIV-infected children have higher concentrations of lactoferrin and it was associated with Candida sp. colonization but no association with medical data was found. Also, both groups showed similar lactoferrin antifungal activity.

Topics: Adolescent; AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections; Antifungal Agents; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; Brazil; Candida albicans; Candidiasis, Oral; Case-Control Studies; Child; Child, Preschool; Cross-Sectional Studies; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Humans; Lactoferrin; Male; Saliva

Buccal and digestive tract opportunistic infections occur frequently in patients infected by HIV. In this study, we measured lysozyme (Lz), lactoferrin (Lf), total IgA (T-IgA), and secretory IgA (S-IgA) levels to investigate nonspecific secretory immunity in HIV-infected patients with oral candidiasis. Serum, saliva, and stool samples were analyzed by time-resolved immunofluorometric assay for Lz and Lf levels and by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for T-IgA and S-IgA levels. Mean salivary Lf and T-IgA levels (66.50 mg/L and 0.10 g/L, respectively) and mean fecal Lf, T-IgA, and S-IgA outputs (0.87, 54.0, and 43.6 mg/d, respectively) were significantly higher in HIV-infected patients with oropharyngeal candidiasis than in HIV-infected patients without oropharyngeal candidiasis and healthy subjects. There was a modification in the molecular form rate, with a high increase in S-IgA and monomeric IgA transudation from the plasmatic compartment into salivary and digestive fluids and an increase in salivary Lf local synthesis by polymorphonuclear neutrophils. HIV infection appears to be associated with dysregulation of some of the nonspecific immune factors at the mucosal surface. Despite high saliva concentrations and high intestinal output, innate immunity was not able to stop yeast expansion in HIV-infected patients.

Topics: Adult; AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections; alpha 1-Antitrypsin; Candidiasis, Oral; Feces; Female; Humans; Immunity, Mucosal; Immunoglobulin A; Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; Intestinal Mucosa; Lactoferrin; Male; Middle Aged; Mouth Mucosa; Muramidase; Saliva; Serum Albumin

A variety of innate defense factors in saliva such as lysozyme and lactoferrin contribute to mucosal protection and modulate Candida populations in the oral cavity. It is also known that in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals significant variations in the concentrations of lysozyme and lactoferrin in saliva occur during disease progression. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the in vitro susceptibility to human lactoferrin and hen egg white lysozyme of genotypically similar oral Candida albicans isolates obtained from six HIV-infected ethnic Chinese during sequential visits over a 12-month period. The similarity of the genotypes (50 in total) was evaluated using a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA assay. A blastospore viability assay was performed to evaluate the sensitivity of the organisms to lysozyme and lactoferrin. Exposure to physiological concentrations of either lysozyme (30 microg/ml) or lactoferrin (20 microg/ml) caused a rapid loss of viability among all isolates to a varying extent. None of the sequential C. albicans isolates demonstrated significant differences in sensitivity to either protein from one visit to the next; similar results were noted when the different genotypes from the same individual were compared. On Spearman correlation analysis of two genotypes that were sequentially isolated from a single patient, a significant negative correlation between lysozyme (r = -0.88; P < 0.02) (but not lactoferrin) resistance and the duration of HIV disease was seen. These results imply that a minority of C. albicans isolates that persist intraorally in individuals with HIV disease develop progressive resistance to innate salivary antifungal defenses such as lysozyme, possibly as an adaptive response. However, the vast majority of the Candida isolates appear to succumb to these nonspecific host immune mediators abundantly present in the oral environment.

Topics: AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections; Animals; Antifungal Agents; Candida albicans; Candidiasis, Oral; China; Genotype; Humans; Lactoferrin; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Muramidase; Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique

The aim of the present work was to determine the concentrations of iron and iron-binding proteins in the lungs of patients suffering from Pneumocystis carinii (PCP), which is crucial for justifying the treatment with iron-chelating agents in this disease.. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in 10 HIV patients with PCP and five healthy controls. Total iron and iron-binding proteins (transferrin, ferritin and lactoferrin) were measured in acellular bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in both groups. Iron was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry; transferrin and lactoferrin were measured using specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA); and ferritin concentration was quantified by automated immunonephelometry.. Our findings in patients with PCP demonstrated a six- to seven-fold increase of total iron levels and an eight-fold increase of ferritin in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid when compared with controls. No significant differences were found in transferrin or lactoferrin levels. Moreover, our results suggest that this iron is non-transferrin bound.. Non-transferrin bound iron is increased in the lower respiratory tracts of PCP patients. This finding would lend experiment support to the use of iron-chelating agents in this disease.

Topics: Adult; AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Ferritins; HIV Infections; Humans; Iron; Iron Chelating Agents; Lactoferrin; Lung; Male; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis; Spectrophotometry, Atomic; Transferrin

The antimicrobial protein lactoferrin (Lf) is present in plasma and in mucosal secretions. Using ELISA we analysed plasma and saliva of HIV-infected patients, patients with AIDS, and healthy controls for the presence of secreted Lf. The plasma Lf levels of AIDS patients (classification C3) were significantly lower (p < 0.001) as compared to asymptomatic and symptomatic HIV infected patients, or controls. In addition, plasma Lf levels closely correlated with neutrophilic granulocyte counts in the HIV-infected patients. Thus, basal plasma Lf levels are likely the result of Lf release by neutrophilic granulocytes. The Candida titres present in the oral cavity were determined in a part of the HIV-infected patient group. As it appeared, the presence of this opportunistic pathogen always coincided with low levels of salivary Lf levels. We conclude that Lf, as part of the nonspecific immune system, might play an important role in the first line of defense against opportunistic microbial infections in AIDS patients.

Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections; Candidiasis; Humans; Lactoferrin; Leukocyte Count; Neutrophils; Saliva