title: Inhibitory effect of extracellular polysaccharide EPS-II from Pseudoalteromonas on Candida adhesion to cornea in vitro.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fungal keratitis (FK) is a vision-threatening infection, whose treatment requires more effective and safer anti-fungal agent exploitation urgently. With this aim, we focused on the effect of an extracellular polysaccharide on fungal adhesion to human corneal epithelial cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed the cytotoxicity assays of the extracellular polysaccharide EPS-II from an antarctic bacterium Pseudoaltermonas and evaluated its inhibitory effect on Candida albicans cells' adherence to human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  EPS-II, which displayed minor cytotoxicity but also promoted proliferation of HCECs, could inhibit the adherence of yeast cells to HCECs in a dose-dependent manner. EPS-II could also suppress the subsequent PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, and thereby decrease the expression of early inflammatory cytokines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Extracellular polysaccharide EPS-II was suggested as a new natural agent for attenuating FK.
authors.affiliation: State Key Lab Cultivation Base, Shandong Provincial Key Lab of Ophthalmology, Shandong Eye Institute, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiang Gen
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ge
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D015153:Blotting, Western; D002175:Candida / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects*; D003315:Cornea / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D031161:Pseudoalteromonas / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt