Affiliation:
1. Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah-51452, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
Objective:
In the present study, we assessed the adjunct effect of vitamin D3 in combination
with Fluconazole (FLZ) against Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC) in mice.
Methods:
Prophylactic effect was assessed by pretreating mice with vitamin D3 before exposure of
mice with 2 X 106 CFUs of Candida albicans followed by treatment with FLZ. To determine the
combined therapeutic efficacy, C. albicans infected mice were treated with a combination of vitamin
D3 (10 μg/kg) and FLZ (10 and 20 mg/kg). The efficacy of the treatment was assessed by analyzing
the fungal load and blood cell count. Moreover, the levels of inflammatory cytokines, including IL-
1β, IL-17 and TNF-α, were analyzed in the vaginal tissues. The histological analysis of the vaginal
tissue from the untreated and treated mice was performed to assess the efficacy of the treatment.
Results:
Prophylactic treatment with vitamin D3 (10 and 20 μg/kg) significantly increased the therapeutic
effect of FLZ against VVC. In a therapeutic experiment, mice in the infected control group
showed the highest vaginal fungal load of 83627 ± 10058 CFUs. Treatment with FLZ at a dose of 10
mg/kg reduced fungal load to 55523 ± 14823 CFUs, whereas the mice treated with a combination of
vitamin D3 and FLZ (10 mg/kg) had the fungal burden of 12156 ± 3219. Similarly, treatment with
FLZ (20 mg/kg) reduced fungal load to 36394 ± 5648 CFUs, whereas the addition of vitamin D3 to
FLZ (20 mg/kg) further reduced the fungal burden to 2179 ± 1188. The leukocyte numbers in the
infected mice increased to 9802 ± 505 as compared to 5152 ± 778 in normal control mice. Whereas,
a combination of vitamin D3 with FLZ (10 and 20 mg/kg) reduced leukocyte numbers to 7284 ± 607
and 5739 ± 1126. The histological analysis data revealed epithelial necrosis, shedding and ulceration
in the vaginal wall. Treatment with FLZ or a combination of FLZ and vitamin D3 brought regenerative
changes in the vaginal epithelium and lamina proparia.
Conclusion:
The results of the present work recommend that the addition of vitamin D3 may be
considered to increase the efficacy of FLZ against VVC.
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Subject
Pharmaceutical Science,Biotechnology
Cited by
3 articles.
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