Abstract
The aim of the present work was to establish whether apoptotic HEp-2 cells demonstrated an altered susceptibility to adherence by the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. Cultures of HEp-2 cells were treated with concentrations of three chemotherapeutic agents sufficient to induce cell death by apoptosis and this was confirmed by microscopic examination and by the loss of membrane asymmetry (as indicated by phosphatidylserine externalization) and the fragmentation of nuclear DNA into distinct subunits. Cells in the early stages of apoptosis demonstrated a reduced susceptibility to adherence by a number of strains of C. albicans. A correlation between the decrease in yeast adherence and the loss of membrane asymmetry, associated with the early stages of apoptosis, was established.