Thrush Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Thrush, including details on oral, vaginal, symptoms, prevention, treatment, infection.

Immunoregulatory activity by daucosterol, a beta-sitosterol glycoside, induces protective Th1 immune response against disseminated Candidiasis in mice.

Lee JH, Lee JY, Park JH, Jung HS, Kim JS, Kang SS, Kim YS, Han Y

Department of ImmunoMicrobiology, College of Pharmacy, Dongduk Women's University, 23-1 Wolgok-Dong, Sungbuk-Gu, Seoul 136-714, South Korea.

In the present study, we investigated immunomodulatory effect of daucosterol, a beta-sitosterol glycoside, against disseminated candidiasis caused by Candida albicans. Results showed that direct interaction of daucosterol with C. albicans yeast cells resulted in no growth-inhibition by in vitro susceptibility analysis. In contrast, mice given daucosterol (DS) intraperitoneally before intravenous challenge with live C. albicans yeast cells survived longer than DS-untreated control mice against disseminated candidiasis (P<0.05). By assessment of the fungal CFU in kidneys, DS-treated mice before the challenge developed about 81% fewer kidney CFU than untreated controls. This protection was removable by pretreatment of mice with anti-CD4+ antibody before the DS-treatment and challenge with the yeast. However, the protection was transferable by the CD4+ T cells from DS-treated mice not infected with the yeast. ELISA analysis revealed there were predominant production of IFNgamma and IL-2 cytokines as compared to IL-4, and IL-10 productions in DS-treated mice. By treatment of DS-given mice with anti-mouse IFNgamma, the protection was also abolished. Our studies show that DS protects mice against disseminated candidiasis by the CD4+ Th1 immune response.

Published 23 April 2007 in Vaccine, 25(19): 3834-40.
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