Abstract
The amino sugar N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) is an in vitro inducer of the hyphal mode of growth of the opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans. The development of hyphae by C. albicans is considered to contribute to the pathogenesis of mucosal oral candidiasis. GlcNAc is also a commonly used nutritional supplement for the self-treatment of conditions such as arthritis. To date, no study has investigated whether ingestion of GlcNAc has an effect on the in vivo growth of C. albicans or the pathogenesis of a C. albicans infection. Using a murine model of oral candidiasis, we have found that administration of GlcNAc, but not glucose, increased oral symptoms of candidiasis and fungal burden. Groups of mice were given GlcNAc in either water or in a viscous carrier, i.e., 1% methylcellulose. There was a dose-dependent relationship between GlcNAc concentration and the severity of oral symptoms. Mice given the highest dose of GlcNAc, 45.2 mM, also showed a significant increase in fungal burden, and increased histological evidence of infection compared to controls given water alone. We propose that ingestion of GlcNAc, as a nutritional supplement, may have an impact on oral health in people susceptible to oral candidiasis.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Dr T. C. White (University of Washington) for kindly providing C. albicans strains TL1 (MML610) and TL3 (MML611). The authors also thank Mr Taguchi (S&B foods Inc.) for advice concerning the viscous carrier methylcellulose and Ms Kimura (The University of Tokyo) for technical support for histological analyses.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
This paper was first published online on Early Online on 22 August 2011.