Humoral Factors in the Protection of the Oral Cavity against Candidiasis

Gene targeting demonstrates that inducible nitric oxide synthase is not essential for resistance to oral candidiasis in mice, or for killing of Candida albicans by macrophages in vitro

“…used an abrasive method, involving trauma to the oral mucosa (11). The immunocompetent oral mucosa is sufficient to resist candidal invasion, and comprises multiple innate defenses including tissue‐resident T cells, phagocytes, and epithelial cells, and also humoral factors such as β‐defensins and histatins, all of which are candidacidal (8, 9) and NO‐independent. Therefore with passive inoculation, phagocyte‐derived and salivary NO may be redundant in mediating fungal clearance, whereas the abrasive mode [representative of candidiasis involving physical trauma, e.g.…”