| Vulvovaginal candidiasis is the most common type of female reproductive system diseases,most of which are caused by Candida albicans infection in the vagina,also known as vulvovaginal candidiasis.Vaginal infection with Candida albicans is one of the risk factors leading to a series of high-risk diseases such as AIDS,cervicitis and miscarriage.Vulvovaginal candidasis disease can cause a series of common gynecological symptoms such as increased vaginal discharge,painful urination,redness and swelling of the vulva,and itching.At present,safe and efficient prevention and treatment techniques for various types of vaginitis have become a hot topic in the medical field.Gastrodia elata is a herb of the Orchidaceae Gastrodia which is distributed in Changbai Mountain in Jilin,Lijiang,Yunnan,Emei in Sichuan and other places.Gastrodia elata has been proven to have various pharmacological effects such as improving memory,enhancing immunity,anti-convulsive,anti-Alzheimer’s,anti-bacterial and anti-fungal,but there are still no relevant reports on the potential mechanism of antibacterial action.At present,most reports are mainly biased towards the application of gastrodia elata and gastrodia elata polysaccharides,while the research on gastrodia elata peptides is not comprehensive.Antibiotics have certain hazards to the environment and human health that cannot be ignored,and due to toxicity issues,some existing biocides have been explicitly banned.Therefore,medicaments derived from natural products with broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and low drug resistance have gradually become a research hotspot.In daily life,Escherichia coli,Staphyloccocus aureus,Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans are common.Among them,Candida albicans is the main cause of female vaginitis.The pathogen Staphylococcus aureus secretes enterotoxins that can cause acute gastroenteritis.Escherichia coli is a common bacteria living in our intestines and the source of human infections.Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common bacterial infection in wounds.Antimicrobial peptides are small molecular peptides that can resist a variety of pathogens,also known as microbial peptides,which are natural products produced by animals,plants and microorganisms themselves.Plants do not have human and animal immune systems,but they have produced effective defense mechanisms in the long-term survival of the fittest,including the production of secondary metabolites and peptides with antibacterial activity.Studies have confirmed that gastrodia elata is a heterotrophic organism that relies on Armillaria to provide nutrition,which also indicates that gastrodia elata has the ability to resist fungal invasion.According to previous research results,we optimized the extraction method of gastrodia elata Peptide（GE）and successfully confirmed its antibacterial activity.In this paper,by using estrogen to induce estrus and infection with Candida albicans,a BALB/c female mouse model of vulvovaginal Candida albicans was successfully established.The plate count method was used to detect the colony units formed by vaginal lavage fluid and evaluate the effects of gastrodia elata polypeptide on mice.The level of Candida albicans and Lactobacillus in the vagina,by culturing the vaginal lavage fluid of mice,the study found that gastrodia elata polypeptide has a protective effect on Lactobacillus,an important bacterial group in the vagina.Hematoxylin-Eosin（H&E）staining and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）were used to evaluate the degree of inflammation in mice.Studies have shown that gastrodia elata polypeptide has an inhibitory effect on the proliferation and inhibition of Candida albicans.The research further explored the antibacterial effect and potential mechanism of gastrodia elata polypeptide against Candida albicans,Escherichia coli,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and Staphylococcus aureus.Therefore,it is speculated that the antibacterial effect of gastrodia elata polypeptide may come from the destruction of cell membrane and the interference of energy metabolism.The experimental results confirmed that gastrodia elata polypeptide can cause the up-regulation ofβ-galactosidase activity outside the membrane.According to the absorbance ofΔOD260,the change of cell membrane permeability was detected.Gastrodia elata polypeptide treatment caused the leakage of macromolecular nucleic acids in the bacteria.Observe the effect on cell activity and physiological structure by scanning electron microscope combined with growth curve.Gastrodia elata polypeptide causes cell folds and breaks.Through the extraction of cell protein detection,the gastrodia elata polypeptide will down-regulate the ion pump Na+/K+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase levels on the membrane,which proves that the gastrodia elata polypeptide affects the permeability of the cell membrane.MDH,SDH and ATP activities are down-regulated,proving that gastrodia elata polypeptide interferes with Candida albicans,Escherichia coli,Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus The energy metabolism of cocci,especially the TCA cycle.In short,through the above experiments,we have proved that gastrodia elata polypeptide can improve the vulvovaginal candidiasis induced by Candida albicans to a certain extent,and can also protect the balance of the vaginal environment.Gastrodia elata polypeptide can damage the cell membrane and cell wall structure.At the same time,gastrodia elata polypeptide can also effectively inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi by interfering with energy metabolism,especially the TCA cycle. |
