Protective effects of immunization with proteinase, phospholipase and cell wall proteins of candida albicans in mice candidosis

Background: The opportunistic fungus Candida albicans is a major pathogen especially to immunocompromised patients. Objectives: We examined the protective effect of the active and passive immunizations to evaluate the applicability for the treatment of candidosis in Candida-infected mice model. Methods: Candida cell wall components were obtained by treatment of lyticase, proteinase K, and dithiothreitol. The proteinase was purified from the culture filtrates of C albicans using a series of chromatographic steps consisting of DEAE-Sepharose FF, Sephacryl S-200 HR and size-exclusion high performance liquid chromatography. The phospholipase was purified from the culture supernatant of C albicans with DEAE column chromatography, reverse phase column chromatography, revere phase HPLC and size-exclusion HPLC. Antibodies to cell wall protein components, proteinase and phospholipase were produced by immunization into mice of same strain. Results: The mean survival times of active and passive immunized mice groups were longer than those of non-immunized groups. Conclusion: These results showed that immunization with proteinase and its antibody were the most effective to prolong survival time in Candida-infected mice.