SYSTEMIC INFECTION WITH CANDIDA ALBICANS INDUCES DECTIN-1 EXPRESSION IN BRAIN

VIGEZZI, CECILIA; MIRÓ, MARÍA SOLEDAD; ICELY, PAULA ALEJANDRA; RODRIGUEZ, EMILSE; CEJAS, HUGO; SOTOMAYOR, CLAUDIA ELENA

Mar del Plata

Congreso; LIX Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica. LXII Reunión Científica Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Inmnología; 2014

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica y Sociedad Argentina de Inmunología

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungus that can cause brain infection in infants and immunocompromised host. Recognition of wall structures by C.albicans glucan receptor Dectin-1 is essential for the antifungal response in the periphery. At present little is known about the expression of this receptor in the Central Nervous System (CNS). Our objective was to evaluate the expression of Dectin-1 in the brain during the course of disseminated infection by this fungus. Male C57BL/6 mice were injected iv with 2,5.106 viable yeasts (ATCC36801) and at 12, 24, 48 and 72h post-infection (pi), animals were weighted to determine the Index of Body Weight (IBW) and sacrificed to obtain kidney, liver and brain to different studies: organ weight, fungal burden (CFU), histopathological changes (HE) and Dectin-1 expression (WB). The infection caused a significant decrease in the IBW of infected animals that was observed from 12h pi (p<0.05). After fungal hematogenous spread kidney and liver were severely infected, and fungal burden was higher from 12h and lasted until 72h pi (p<0.05); ongoing the infection increased of kidney weight was detected after 24h of fungal injection. C. albicans was able to cross the blood brain barrier and establish in the brain parenchyma; presence of invasive morphotype were observed (HE). Significant levels of CFU were recovered from 12h pi, and fungal load was maintained throughout the study kinetics (p<0.05). The brain weight of animals 24h pi was higher than during other points of the study. The Dectin-1 expression showed a progressive increase along the different days of infection. These results provide novel evidence about the participation of b-glucan receptor in C.albicans recognition in brain, suggesting that Dectin-1 could have some implications in the local response during the neurocandidiasis.