<i>Candida albicans</i> Infection Disrupts the Metabolism of Vaginal Epithelial Cells and Inhibits Cellular Glycolysis
Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a common gynecologic disorder caused by fungal infections of the vaginal mucosa, with the most common pathogen being <i>Candida albicans</i> (<i>C. albicans</i>). Exploring metabolite changes in the disease process facilitates further discove...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/2/292 |
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| author | Yanni Zhao Pengjiao Wang Xiaodong Sun Mei Zhao Yixuan Chen Xiuli Gao |
| author_facet | Yanni Zhao Pengjiao Wang Xiaodong Sun Mei Zhao Yixuan Chen Xiuli Gao |
| author_sort | Yanni Zhao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a common gynecologic disorder caused by fungal infections of the vaginal mucosa, with the most common pathogen being <i>Candida albicans</i> (<i>C. albicans</i>). Exploring metabolite changes in the disease process facilitates further discovery of targets for disease treatment. However, studies on the metabolic changes caused by <i>C. albicans</i> are still lacking. In this study, we used <i>C. albicans</i>-infected vaginal epithelial cells to construct an in vitro model of VVC, analyzed the metabolites by UHPLC-Q-Exactive MS, and screened the potential metabolites based on metabolomics. The results showed that <i>C. albicans</i> infection resulted in significant up-regulation of D-arabitol, palmitic acid, adenosine, etc.; significant down-regulation of lactic acid, nicotinamide (NAM), nicotinate (NA), etc.; and disruption of amino acid metabolism, and that these significantly altered metabolites might be potential therapeutic targets of VVC. Further experiments showed that <i>C. albicans</i> infection led to a decrease in glycolytic enzymes in damaged cells, inhibiting glycolysis and leading to significant alterations in glycolytic metabolites. The present study explored the potential metabolites of VVC induced by <i>C. albicans</i> infection based on metabolomics and verified the inhibitory effect of <i>C. albicans</i> on vaginal epithelial cell glycolysis, which is valuable for the diagnosis and treatment of VVC. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:20:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-333aa35b86854cc1af6d480633626ae1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:20:38Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
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| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-333aa35b86854cc1af6d480633626ae12024-02-23T15:28:06ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072024-01-0112229210.3390/microorganisms12020292<i>Candida albicans</i> Infection Disrupts the Metabolism of Vaginal Epithelial Cells and Inhibits Cellular GlycolysisYanni Zhao0Pengjiao Wang1Xiaodong Sun2Mei Zhao3Yixuan Chen4Xiuli Gao5State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, School of Pharmacy, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550031, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, School of Pharmacy, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550031, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, School of Pharmacy, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550031, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, School of Pharmacy, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550031, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, School of Pharmacy, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550031, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, School of Pharmacy, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550031, ChinaVulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a common gynecologic disorder caused by fungal infections of the vaginal mucosa, with the most common pathogen being <i>Candida albicans</i> (<i>C. albicans</i>). Exploring metabolite changes in the disease process facilitates further discovery of targets for disease treatment. However, studies on the metabolic changes caused by <i>C. albicans</i> are still lacking. In this study, we used <i>C. albicans</i>-infected vaginal epithelial cells to construct an in vitro model of VVC, analyzed the metabolites by UHPLC-Q-Exactive MS, and screened the potential metabolites based on metabolomics. The results showed that <i>C. albicans</i> infection resulted in significant up-regulation of D-arabitol, palmitic acid, adenosine, etc.; significant down-regulation of lactic acid, nicotinamide (NAM), nicotinate (NA), etc.; and disruption of amino acid metabolism, and that these significantly altered metabolites might be potential therapeutic targets of VVC. Further experiments showed that <i>C. albicans</i> infection led to a decrease in glycolytic enzymes in damaged cells, inhibiting glycolysis and leading to significant alterations in glycolytic metabolites. The present study explored the potential metabolites of VVC induced by <i>C. albicans</i> infection based on metabolomics and verified the inhibitory effect of <i>C. albicans</i> on vaginal epithelial cell glycolysis, which is valuable for the diagnosis and treatment of VVC.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/2/292<i>Candida albicans</i>vaginal epithelial cellsvulvovaginal candidiasismetabolomicsglycolysis |
| spellingShingle | Yanni Zhao Pengjiao Wang Xiaodong Sun Mei Zhao Yixuan Chen Xiuli Gao <i>Candida albicans</i> Infection Disrupts the Metabolism of Vaginal Epithelial Cells and Inhibits Cellular Glycolysis Microorganisms <i>Candida albicans</i> vaginal epithelial cells vulvovaginal candidiasis metabolomics glycolysis |
| title | <i>Candida albicans</i> Infection Disrupts the Metabolism of Vaginal Epithelial Cells and Inhibits Cellular Glycolysis |
| title_full | <i>Candida albicans</i> Infection Disrupts the Metabolism of Vaginal Epithelial Cells and Inhibits Cellular Glycolysis |
| title_fullStr | <i>Candida albicans</i> Infection Disrupts the Metabolism of Vaginal Epithelial Cells and Inhibits Cellular Glycolysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | <i>Candida albicans</i> Infection Disrupts the Metabolism of Vaginal Epithelial Cells and Inhibits Cellular Glycolysis |
| title_short | <i>Candida albicans</i> Infection Disrupts the Metabolism of Vaginal Epithelial Cells and Inhibits Cellular Glycolysis |
| title_sort | i candida albicans i infection disrupts the metabolism of vaginal epithelial cells and inhibits cellular glycolysis |
| topic | <i>Candida albicans</i> vaginal epithelial cells vulvovaginal candidiasis metabolomics glycolysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/2/292 |
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