Beta Glucan for the Treatment Of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC) and Recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (RVVC)

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Beta Glucan for the Treatment Of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC) and Recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (RVVC), Page 1 of 1

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<div&gt;Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is one of the most common infections in&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;women. It is one of the most common fungal infections with Candida albicans (C.</div&gt;<div&gt;albicans) as the major causative agent in humans. C. albicans is an opportunistic fungal&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;pathogen and a normal colonizer of the intestinal mucosa, oral cavity, and vulvovaginal&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;tract [1]. Overgrowth of the fungus followed by epithelial invasion and immune cell&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;infiltration leads to inflammatory symptoms such as vaginal itching, burning, and pain.</div&gt;<div&gt;These clinical representations reduce the quality of life and cause high costs in the&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;global health system [2]. It is known that the fungus-glucan is highly immunoreactive&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;[3] and that β-glucan masking by mannan can inhibit the recognition and killing of&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;fungi by macrophages [4-6]. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of β-</div&gt;<div&gt;glucan to protect against C. albicans vaginal infection.</div&gt;