Abstract
The microbiota of the mouth disperses into the lungs, and both compartments share similar phyla. Considering the importance of the microbiota in the maturation of the immunity and physiology during the first days of life, we hypothesized that primo-colonizing bacteria of the oral cavity may induce immune responses in bronchial epithelial cells. Herein, we have isolated and characterized 57 strains of the buccal cavity of two human newborns. These strains belong to Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, Rothia and Pantoea genera, with Streptococcus being the most represented. The strains were co-incubated with a bronchial epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B), and we established their impact on a panel of cytokines/chemokines and global changes in gene expression. The Staphylococcus strains, which appeared soon after birth, induced a high production of IL-8, suggesting they can trigger inflammation, whereas the Streptococcus strains were less associated with inflammation pathways. The genera Streptococcus, Enterococcus and Pantoea induced differential profiles of cytokine/chemokine/growth factor and set of genes associated with maturation of morphology. Altogether, our results demonstrate that the microorganisms, primo-colonizing the oral cavity, impact immunity and morphology of the lung epithelial cells, with specific effects depending on the phylogeny of the strains.
Highlights
The buccal cavity (BC) is the body’s entrance for nutriments, air, environmental pollutants and microorganisms
The installation of the buccal microbiota matches with the maturation of the lung microbiota; the exchange of microorganisms between both compartments may impact the course of respiratory diseases
The dense and highly diverse buccal ecosystem, which shares similar phyla with the lung microbiota, is accessible to study the characteristics of microorganisms that migrate to the lungs
Summary
The buccal cavity (BC) is the body’s entrance for nutriments, air, environmental pollutants and microorganisms. It is a complex ecosystem built by different ecological niches that include the surfaces of hard and soft tissues and saliva [1,2,3]. Numerous descriptions have established an association between buccal microbiota and both local and distal diseases [6,7,8]. In respiratory diseases such as asthma, differences in the profile of buccal microbiota have been observed in children as soon as 12 months of age [9]. The dense and highly diverse buccal ecosystem, which shares similar phyla with the lung microbiota, is accessible to study the characteristics of microorganisms that migrate to the lungs
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