Tonnaer Edith L G M, Hafmans Theo G, Van Kuppevelt Toine H, Sanders Elisabeth A M, Verweij Paul E, Curfs Jo H A J
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center St. Radboud, PO Box 9101, Philips Van Leydenlaan 15, 6500HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Microbes Infect. 2006 Feb;8(2):316-22. doi: 10.1016/j.micinf.2005.06.028. Epub 2005 Sep 16.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major bacterial pathogen involved in the development of otitis media. The pathogenic mechanisms of this middle ear disease, including the bacterial adherence mechanisms to the mucosal epithelial cells of the host, are poorly understood. In this study, the role of glycosaminoglycans in the adhesion of pneumococci to mucosal epithelial cells is examined. Both nasopharyngeal epithelium from rats and an oral epithelial cell line were used for pneumococcal adherence experiments. Preincubation of pneumococci with heparin, heparan sulfate (HS) and to a lesser extent, chondroitin 4-sulfate (C-4S), was found to inhibit attachment of S. pneumoniae to oral epithelial cells, while dermatan sulfate and hyaluronate did not interfere with pneumococcal binding. Enzymatic removal of HS moieties by heparinase III from nasopharyngeal epithelial cells abolished the attachment of pneumococci to nasopharyngeal epithelium. This study demonstrates that heparin, HS and C-4S are involved in pneumococcal binding to mucosal epithelial cells. This knowledge may contribute to the development of a new prophylactic strategy for otitis media.
肺炎链球菌是中耳炎发病过程中的一种主要细菌病原体。人们对这种中耳疾病的致病机制，包括细菌对宿主黏膜上皮细胞的黏附机制，了解甚少。在本研究中，研究了糖胺聚糖在肺炎球菌黏附于黏膜上皮细胞中的作用。大鼠鼻咽上皮和一种口腔上皮细胞系均用于肺炎球菌黏附实验。发现肺炎球菌与肝素、硫酸乙酰肝素（HS）预孵育，以及在较小程度上与硫酸软骨素4-硫酸酯（C-4S）预孵育，可抑制肺炎链球菌对口腔上皮细胞的黏附，而硫酸皮肤素和透明质酸则不干扰肺炎球菌的结合。用肝素酶III酶解去除鼻咽上皮细胞中的HS部分，可消除肺炎球菌对鼻咽上皮的黏附。本研究表明，肝素、HS和C-4S参与肺炎球菌与黏膜上皮细胞的结合。这一认识可能有助于开发一种新的中耳炎预防策略。
