Das Shreaya, Konwar Bolin K
Department of MBBT, Tezpur University, Napaam, Assam, 784028, India.
Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2024 Mar;309(3):871-886. doi: 10.1007/s00404-023-07200-8. Epub 2023 Sep 7.
Vaginal canal (VC) is exposed to the external environment affected by habitual factors like hygiene and sexual behaviour as well as physiological factors like puberty, menstrual cycle, pregnancy, child birth and menopause. Healthy VC harbours beneficial microflora supported by vaginal epithelium and cervical fluid. Connatural antimicrobial peptide (AMPs) of female reproductive tract (FRT) conjunctly with these beneficial microbes provide protection from a large number of infectious diseases. Such infections may either be caused by native microbes of the VC or transitory microbes like bacteria or virus which are not a part of VC microflora. This review highlight's the role of hormones, enzymes, innate immunological factors, epithelial cells and vaginal mucus that support beneficial microbes over infectious ones thus, helping to maintain homeostasis in VC and further protect the FRT. We also discuss the prospective use of vaginal probiotics and AMPs against pathogens which can serve as a potential cure for vaginal infections.
阴道管（VC）暴露于外部环境中，受到卫生和性行为等习惯因素以及青春期、月经周期、怀孕、分娩和更年期等生理因素的影响。健康的阴道管拥有由阴道上皮和宫颈液支持的有益微生物群。女性生殖道（FRT）的天然抗菌肽（AMPs）与这些有益微生物共同提供对大量传染病的保护。此类感染可能由阴道管的原生微生物或不属于阴道管微生物群的细菌或病毒等短暂微生物引起。本综述强调了激素、酶、先天免疫因素、上皮细胞和阴道黏液的作用，它们支持有益微生物而非感染性微生物，从而有助于维持阴道管的内环境稳定，并进一步保护女性生殖道。我们还讨论了阴道益生菌和AMPs针对病原体的潜在用途，它们可作为治疗阴道感染的潜在方法。
