title: Estradiol impairs the Th17 immune response against Candida albicans.
abstract: Candida albicans is a commensal opportunistic pathogen that is also a member of gastrointestinal and reproductive tract microbiota. Exogenous factors, such as oral contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy, and estradiol, may affect susceptibility to Candida infection, although the mechanisms involved in this process have not been elucidated. We used a systemic candidiasis model to investigate how estradiol confers susceptibility to infection. We report that estradiol increases mouse susceptibility to systemic candidiasis, as in vivo and ex vivo estradiol-treated DCs were less efficient at up-regulating antigen-presenting machinery, pathogen killing, migration, IL-23 production, and triggering of the Th17 immune response. Based on these results, we propose that estradiol impairs DC function, thus explaining the increased susceptibility to infection during estrus.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología II, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain. miguel.rellosoc@salud.madrid.es
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Relloso
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aragoneses-Fenoll
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lasarte
authors.forename: Christelle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bourgeois
authors.forename: Gema
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Romera
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuchler
authors.forename: Angel L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Corbí
authors.forename: M Angeles
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Muñoz-Fernández
authors.forename: César
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nombela
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Fernández
authors.forename: Rosalia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Diez-Orejas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000276:immunology*; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000276:immunology*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000276:immunology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000276:immunology; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D030762:Estrous Cycle / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010052:Ovariectomy / Q000379:methods; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D004958:Estradiol