TYPE I INTERFERONS PATHWAY HAS A RELEVANT ROLE DURING THE COURSE OF VULVOVAGINAL CANDIDIASIS

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

Buenos Aires

Congreso; Reunion Conjunta de Sociedades de Biociencias; 2017

Type I Interferons (IFNs-I) constitute a cytokine family with diverse effects on immune cells. Recent studies have revealed that, besides viruses and bacteria, fungal pathogens can also induce IFNs-I production by professional APC. Candida albicans (Ca) is the principal agent of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis(VVC), a disease affecting 75% of women worldwide. We aimed to explore whether IFNs-I pathway modulates the immune response against Ca during VVC course. Female C57BL/6(WT) and IFNAR-/- (IFN-alpha receptor deficient) mice on estrus phase (estradiol-treated) were intravaginally inoculated with 5x106 Ca-SC5314 (Infected group) or PBS (Uninfected group) at day(D) 0. Untreated mice were used as controls. Vaginal lavage (VL) and vagina were obtained at D2, 4 and 8 pi. CFU studies revealed that both mice strains remained infected throughout the study period but no significant differences were observed in fungal burden. However, IFNAR-/- mice showed a significant increase on PMNs recruitment at D8 as compared to WT mice(p<0.05). IL-1b levels were lower on IFNAR-/- than WT mice at D2 and 4 pi(p<0.001), IL-6 showed similar values between both groups and TGFb was decreased in IFNAR-/- mice at D4 and 8 pi (ELISA). We also performed histological studies and determined both invasiveness (Inv.S) and inflammatory (Inf.S) score during VVC course. While in WT mice blastoconidia and pseudohyphae were attached to the cornified epithelium, in IFNAR-/- mice hyphae were observed to penetrate deep epithelial layers. Inv.S was significantly higher in IFNAR-/- mice compared to WT at D2(p<0.05). Inf.S was higher on IFNAR-/- than WT mice at D2, however, at the end of the study, an inverse profile was observed(p<0.001).Our results indicate that in absence of IFNs-I signaling, C. albicans mucosal invasiveness, tissue reaction, PMNs recruitment and local immune mediators in the vaginal tract were altered.This provides new evidence about the relevant role of IFNs-I during the course of VVC.