Abstract
ABSTRACTVulvovaginal candidiasis is the most prevalent vaginal infection worldwide and Candida albicans is its major agent. Vulvovaginal candidiasis is characterized by disruption of the vaginal microbiota composition, as happens following large spectrum antibiotic usage. Recent studies support the effectiveness of oral and local probiotic treatment for prevention of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a safe yeast used as, or for, the production of ingredients for human nutrition and health. Here, we demonstrate that vaginal administration of probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae live yeast (GI) and, in part, inactivated whole yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (IY), used as post-challenge therapeutics, was able to positively influence the course of vaginal candidiasis by accelerating the clearance of the fungus. This effect was likely due to multiple interactions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with Candida albicans. Both live and inactivated yeasts induced coaggregation of Candida and consequently inhibited its adherence to epithelial cells. However, only the probiotic yeast was able to suppress some major virulence factors of Candida albicans such as the ability to switch from yeast to mycelial form and the capacity to express several aspartyl proteases. The effectiveness of live yeast was higher than that of inactivated whole yeast suggesting that the synergy between mechanical effects and biological effects were dominant over purely mechanical effects. The protection of epithelial cells to Candida-induced damage was also observed. Overall, our data show for the first time that Saccharomyces cerevisiae-based ingredients, particularly the living cells, can exert beneficial therapeutic effects on a widespread vaginal mucosal infection.
Highlights
Probiotics are live microorganisms that provide health benefits to the host when ingested in adequate amounts
We analyzed the effect of administration of S. cerevisiae live yeast (GI) and inactivated whole yeast S. cerevisiae (IY) on the course of vaginal candidiasis in a mouse experimental model by using bioluminescent C. albicans (BLI Candida).[19]
It has been reported that live S. cerevisiae was able to significantly enhance the viability of probiotic strains such as L. rhamnosus under acidic conditions, this effect being related to pH, probiotic and yeast concentration.[27]
Summary
Probiotics are live microorganisms that provide health benefits to the host when ingested in adequate amounts. The strains most frequently used as probiotics include: Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Saccharomyces spp.[1]. Compelling evidence shows that probiotics can influence the metabolic processes of pathogens which lead to infection, and confer some type of protection against disease.[2,3,4] In particular, it has been well established that several pathologic processes such as obesity and metabolic syndrome are associated with changes in intestinal microbiota.[5,6,7] among the health promoting properties such as antitumoral, antimicrobial and hypocholesterolemic effects have been associated with consumption of milk fermented with probiotics.[8] fermented milk effects have been associated with modulation of brain activity.[9]
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