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№4' 2016

THERAPY

International Medical Journal, Vol. 22., Iss. 4, 2016, P. 18−23.

THE ABILITY OF BUCCAL EPITHELIAL CELLS TO ADHESION OF CANDIDA ALBICANS IN GASTROENTEROLOGICAL PATIENTS WITH CANDIDIASIS OF THE UPPER DIGESTIVE TRACT MUCOSA

Institute of Gastroenterology of NAMS of Ukraine, Dnipro, Ukraine

Buccal epithelial cells play an important role in immune response of the macroorganism at contact with Candida albicans, but its adhesive properties in patients depending on the disease severity has not been established. The aim of the investigation was to study the ability of buccal epithelial cells to adhesion of the reference strain Candida albicans in patients with candidiasis of the mucosa of the upper portion of the digestive tract depending on the depth of its damage and interrelation with the indices of the system of antifungal resistance. The investigation involved 66 patients divided into three groups: with oropharyngeal candidiasis and superficial growth of fungi in biopsy materials of the esophagus and stomach; with fungi invasion to the mucous membrane; without oropharyngeal candidiasis and without fungi growth in biopsy materials. The findings demonstrated that average number of Candida on one epithelial cell was within the range of average degree of adhesiveness. The index of the number of involved in the adhesion cells was significantly higher in patients of group 2 compared with the group 1 (р < 0.05). Index of adhesiveness of buccal epithelial cells in patients with fungi invasion was higher compared with patients with oropharyngeal candidiasis and superficial candidiasis (р < 0.05). The increase of this index depended on the level of seromucoids, level of immunodeficiency with correlation leukocytes/T−lymphocytes, immunoglobulin level and negatively correlated with lactoferrin in the saliva and gastric juice as well as ceruloplasmin. Thus, the obtained findings suggest an important role of buccal epithelium as an integral part of mucosa antifungal resistance.

Key words: candidiasis, buccal epithelial cells, adhesion, immunity.