Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Glycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla CA 92093, USA.
Glycobiology. 2021 Jun 29;31(6):667-680. doi: 10.1093/glycob/cwab024.
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a condition of the vaginal microbiome in which there are few lactobacilli and abundant anaerobic bacteria. Members of the genus Gardnerella are often one of the most abundant bacteria in BV. BV is associated with a wide variety of poor health outcomes for women. It has been recognized since the 1980s that women with BV have detectable and sometimes markedly elevated levels of sialidase activity in vaginal fluids and that bacteria associated with this condition produce this activity in culture. Mounting evidence collected using diverse methodologies points to the conclusion that BV is associated with a reduction in intact sialoglycans in cervicovaginal secretions. Here we review evidence for the contributions of vaginal bacteria, especially Gardnerella, in the processes of mucosal sialoglycan degradation, uptake, metabolism and depletion. Our understanding of the impacts of vaginal sialoglycan degradation is still limited. However, the potential implications of sialic acid depletion are discussed in light of our current understanding of the roles played by sialoglycans in vaginal physiology.
细菌性阴道病（BV）是阴道微生物组的一种状况，其中乳杆菌较少，而厌氧细菌较多。加德纳菌属的成员通常是 BV 中最丰富的细菌之一。BV 与女性健康的各种不良后果有关。自 20 世纪 80 年代以来，人们已经认识到，BV 患者的阴道液中可检测到并有时明显升高的唾液酸酶活性，并且与这种情况相关的细菌在培养中产生这种活性。使用多种方法收集的越来越多的证据表明，BV 与宫颈阴道分泌物中完整唾液糖脂的减少有关。在这里，我们回顾了阴道细菌（尤其是加德纳菌）在粘膜唾液糖脂降解、摄取、代谢和消耗过程中的作用的证据。我们对阴道唾液糖脂降解的影响的理解仍然有限。然而，鉴于我们目前对唾液糖脂在阴道生理学中所起作用的理解，讨论了唾液酸耗尽的潜在影响。
