A recent study reveals that hypochlorous acid, also known as bleach, is generated during the respiratory burst by immune cells and could be a key weapon in attacking Candida albicans and other microbial pathogens.

Infections From Fungal Pathogen

Candida albicans is a fungal pathogen that can grow in a wide range of niches in humans. This species naturally lives in our bodies and is controlled by healthy bacteria. Candida albicans keeps company with other microorganisms that comprise the gut microbiome.

However, there are times when this pathogen overgrows and turns into an infection if the balance of good bacteria and fungus is disrupted. When this happens, yeast can proliferate unchecked, an overgrowth that can trigger an infection commonly known as candidiasis. Some of the common infections include diaper rash, vaginal yeast infection, and thrush.

Infections caused by this species are important since they can progress into lethal systemic infections, especially when a person's immune system is compromised. Once a severe infection has been established, the challenge in fighting Candida albicans is worsened by the limited effectiveness of conventional antifungal drugs. Because of this, it is important to determine the response of Candida albicans to the immune defenses to create therapeutic strategies that enhance the host's response to infection.

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Hypochlorous Acid as Body Bleach

When particles such as parasites, dead host cells, bacteria, and cellular and foreign debris enter the body of an organism, its cells use their plasma membrane to engulf and eliminate them in phagocytosis. As the phagocytes (neutrophils and monocytes) capture the invading fungi species, they create two oxidants in the form of hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorous acid.

Most studies investigating this immune response against the fungal pathogen focus on hydrogen peroxide, not hypochlorous acid. It was found that the hydrogen peroxide created during the oxidative burst in the phagosome is converted by myeloperoxidase into hypochlorous acid, making it the more potent killing agent.

A team of researchers led by Professor James Konopka from Stony Brook University found that hypochlorous acid kills the cells of pathogens by targeting the plasma membrane and by oxidizing cellular components differently than hydrogen peroxide. As this bleach disrupts the plasma membrane of Candida albicans, it produces a very different transcriptional response than hydrogen peroxide. Moreover, it is more effective and disruptive to the invading particles, giving a more distinct effect on fighting the fungal cells.

According to Konopka, neutrophils are the crucial cell type for controlling infections by Candida albicans and other fungal pathogens. As a type of white blood cell, neutrophils are distinct because they make high levels of myeloperoxidase compared to other phagocytes like macrophages.

The study's findings show the significance of neutrophil response and its role in the oxidative process that produces the fungal-killing hypochlorous acid. Although the laboratory results will not directly impact new treatments against Candida albicans infection, the researchers believe it could find a basis for developing new therapeutic strategies against pathogens that cause infection.

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