Attachment of Candida albicans to plastic materials of dental prostheses or to salivary macromolecules adsorbed on their surface is believed to be a critical event in the development of denture stomatitis. In an earlier study, it was shown that adhesion of C. albicans to polystyrene, a model system to study the adhesion of C. albicans to plastic materials, can be partially inhibited with an mAb directed against cell wall polysaccharides of C. albicans. In the present study, the role of whole saliva in the adhesion of C. albicans to polystyrene has been investigated, and three mAbs directed against epitopes of cell wall mannoproteins have been used to mimic the inhibitory effect observed with salivary secretory IgA (sIgA) on the adhesion of C. albicans to polystyrene. In the absence of whole saliva, adherence of C. albicans 3153 increased with germination. However, the presence of whole saliva enhanced the adhesion to polystyrene of C. albicans 3153 yeast cells but decreased the adhesion of germinated cells. The enhancement of adhesion of yeast cells to polystyrene mediated by saliva was confirmed with an agerminative mutant of C. albicans 3153. The inhibition of the adhesion of C. albicans 3153 germ tubes to polystyrene was due to the salivary sIgA since sIgA-depleted saliva enhanced the adhesion of C. albicans 3153 to polystyrene. The inhibitory effect mediated by sIgA was not related to the inhibition of germination but to the blockage of adhesins expressed on the cell wall surface of the germ tubes. The three mAbs studied reduced the adhesion of C. albicans 3153 to polystyrene at levels equivalent to those for purified sIgA. The highest reduction in the adhesion was obtained with the IgA mAb N3B. The best results were obtained when the three mAbs were combined. The results suggest that whole saliva plays a different role in the adhesion of C. albicans to polystyrene depending on the morphological phase of C. albicans. These results may give new insights into the conflicting role of saliva in the adhesion of C. albicans to plastic materials of dental prostheses.
BendelC. M., HostetterM. K., McClellanM.1993; Distinct mechanisms of epithelial adhesion for Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis. Identification of the participating ligands and development of inhibitory peptides. J Clin Investig 92:1840–1849[CrossRef]
Budtz-JörgensenE.1990; Candida-associated denture stomatitis and angular cheilitis. In Oral Candidosis pp. 156–183Edited bySamaranayakeL. P., MacFarlaneT. W. London: Wright;
CannonR. D., NandA. K., JenkinsonH. F.1995; Adherence of Candida albicans to human salivary components adsorbed to hydroxylapatite. Microbiology 141:213–219[CrossRef]
CasadevallA., CassoneA., BistoniF., CutlerJ. E., MaglianiW., MurphyJ. W., PolonelliL., RomaniL.1998; Antibody and/or cell-mediated immunity, protective mechanisms in fungal disease: an ongoing dilemma or an unnecessary dispute?. Med Mycol 36:95–105
CassoneA., ContiS., De BernardisF., PolonelliL.1997; Antibodies, killer toxins and antifungal immunoprotection: a lesson from nature?. Immunol Today 18:164–169[CrossRef]
EdgertonM., ScannapiecoF. A., ReddyM. S., LevineM. J.1993; Human submandibular-sublingual saliva promotes adhesion of Candida albicans to polymethylmethacrylate. Infect Immun 61:2644–2652
EdgertonM., RajP. A., LevineM. J.1995; Surface-modified poly(methyl methacrylate) enhances adsorption and retains anticandidal activities of salivary histatin 5. J Biomed Mater Res 29:1277–1286[CrossRef]
EpsteinJ. B., KimuraL. H., MenardT. W., TrueloveE. L., PearsallN. N.1982; Effects of specific antibodies on the interaction between the fungus Candida albicans and human oral mucosa. Arch Oral Biol 27:469–474[CrossRef]
KennedyM. J.1988; Adhesion and association mechanisms of Candida albicans. In Current Topics in Medical Mycology pp. 73–169Edited byMcGinninsM. R. New York: Springer;
McCourtieJ., DouglasL. J.1981; Relationship between cell surface composition of Candida albicans and adherence to acrylic after growth on different carbon sources. Infect Immun 32:1234–1241
McCourtieJ., MacFarlaneT. W., SamaranayakeL. P.1986; Effect of saliva and serum on the adherence of Candida species to chlorhexidine-treated denture acrylic. J Med Microbiol 21:209–213[CrossRef]
MiyakawaY., KuribayashiT., KagayaK., SuzukiM., NakaseT., FukazawaY.1992; Role of specific determinants in mannan of Candida albicans serotype-A in adherence to human buccal epithelial cells. Infect Immun 60:2493–2499
San MillánR., EzkurraP., QuindósG., RobertR., SenetJ. M., PontónJ.1996; Effect of monoclonal antibodies directed against Candida albicans cell wall antigens on the adhesion of the fungus to polystyrene. Microbiology 142:2271–2277[CrossRef]
VasilasA., MolinaL., HoffmanM., HaidarisC. G.1992; The influence of morphological variation on Candida albicans adhesion to denture acrylic in vitro. Arch Oral Biol 37:613–622[CrossRef]
VuddhhakulV., McCormackJ. G., SeowW. K., SmithS. E., ThongY. H.1988; Inhibition of adherence of Candida albicans by conventional and experimental antifungal drugs. J Antimicrob Chemother 21:755–763[CrossRef]
VudhichamnongK., WalkerD. M., RyleyH. C.1982; The effect of secretory immunoglobulin A on the in vitro adherence of the yeast Candida albicans to human oral epithelial cells. Arch Oral Biol 27:617–621[CrossRef]