{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,29]],"date-time":"2025-10-29T19:43:21Z","timestamp":1761767001530,"version":"3.37.3"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,16]],"date-time":"2021-11-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1637020800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100009619","name":"Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["JP21fk0108135"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JP21fk0108135"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100009619","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100009619","name":"Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["JP21fk0108139"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JP21fk0108139"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100009619","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100009619","name":"Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["JP21fk0108094"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JP21fk0108094"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100009619","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001691","name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["20K17477"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["20K17477"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001691","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001691","name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["18K19529"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["18K19529"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001691","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001691","name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["18K19529"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["18K19529"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001691","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Vulvovaginal candidiasis is a common superficial candidiasis; however, a host\u2019s immunological mechanism against vaginal <jats:italic>Candida<\/jats:italic> infection remains unknown.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>In this study, we aimed to elucidate the effect of iNKT cell activation on vulvovaginal candidiasis.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Using a vulvovaginal candidiasis model with estrogenized mice, we evaluated the fungal burden and number of leukocyte infiltrations in the vaginal lavage of wild-type C57BL\/6J mice after <jats:italic>Candida albicans<\/jats:italic> inoculation. One day before <jats:italic>C<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>albicans<\/jats:italic> inoculation, \u03b1-galactosylceramide (the \u03b1-GalCer group) or sterile phosphate-buffered saline (the sham group) was intraperitoneally injected into the mice. We also evaluated the level of antimicrobial peptide S100A8 in the vaginal lavage and analyzed the correlation between S100A8 concentration and the number of vaginal leukocyte infiltrations. Moreover, the number of uterine and vaginal immune cells were evaluated using flow cytometry.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The number of vaginal leukocyte infiltrations was significantly higher in the \u03b1-GalCer group than in the sham group 3 days after <jats:italic>C<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>albicans<\/jats:italic> inoculation. In addition, the fungal burden was significantly lower in the \u03b1-GalCer group than the sham group at 7 days after inoculation. In the analysis of S100A8 concentration of vaginal lavage, there were no significant differences between these two groups, although S100A8 concentration and the number of vaginal leukocyte infiltrations were positively correlated in the \u03b1-GalCer group. Moreover, the number of vaginal iNKT cells, NK cells and CD8<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> T-cells was significantly higher in the \u03b1-GalCer group 3 days after inoculation.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec005\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>\u03b1-GalCer-stimulated iNKT cells likely play a protective role against vulvovaginal candidiasis.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0259306","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,16]],"date-time":"2021-11-16T18:33:04Z","timestamp":1637087584000},"page":"e0259306","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["\u03b1-galactosylceramide-stimulated invariant natural killer T-cells play a protective role in murine vulvovaginal candidiasis by Candida albicans"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6355-716X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Masahiro","family":"Abe","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9915-7013","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Yuki","family":"Kinjo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sota","family":"Sadamoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Minoru","family":"Shinozaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Minoru","family":"Nagi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kazutoshi","family":"Shibuya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yoshitsugu","family":"Miyazaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0259306.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1961","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(07)60917-9","article-title":"Vulvovaginal 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