Dysbiotic disorders and innate immunity indices in bacterial vaginosis

Uruimagova A.T., Prilepskaya V.N., Mezhevitinova E.A., Donnikov A.E., Attoeva D.I.

Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow, Russia
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is one of the most common causes of abnormal vaginal discharge in reproductive-aged women. Currently, BV is generally recognized to be characterized by an increased growth of obligate and facultative anaerobic microorganisms in the vagina, causing the lactobacilli to be replaced by opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms (OPMs) and the vaginal pH to rise. The microbiota of human open cavities (the urogenital, intestinal, and respiratory tracts, and skin) is believed to be a unified complex; however, the mechanisms of interaction of microorganisms of in the above niches with the host have not yet been fully studied. It is still unclear why there is an imbalance in the vaginal microbiota and why most women with BV have a very weak immune response without pronounced signs of inflammation.
The representatives of OPMs are known to have mechanisms that can suppress or change the host’s immune responses, largely depending on polymorphisms in the genes of the immune system. There is evidence that genetic variations in the immune molecules play an important role in how a woman responds to changes in the composition of the vaginal microbiota. Recently, a number of researchers have supported the theory that in the absence of clinical manifestations, the vaginal microbiota characterized by the replacement of lactobacilli by OPMs can be considered normal. In addition, it is assumed that it is the host’s immune system that determines the clinical presentations and outcome of the disease; attention should be therefore paid not only to the vaginal microbiota, but also to the assessment of the local immune status of the host.
Conclusion: Thus, analyzing the data available in the world literature can lead to the conclusion that female innate immunity plays an important and possibly primary role in the development of BV, which affects the qualitative and quantitative composition of the microbiota of various localizations. Genetic variations in innate immunity factors can affect how a woman responds to changes in the composition of the vaginal microbiota, regulating the course of the process and clinical outcome.

Keywords

bacterial vaginosis
recurrent bacterial vaginosis
vaginal microbiota
gut microbiota
polymorphism in the immune response gene
innate local immunity
pro-inflammatory cytokines
anti-inflammatory cytokines

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Received 20.02.2021

Accepted 10.06.2021

About the Authors

Ada T. Uruymagova, postgraduate student of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, Perinatology and Reproductology, Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obseters, Gynecology and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, ada.uruimagova@yandex.ru, 117997, Russia, Moscow, Academician Oparin str., 4.
Vera N. Prilepskaya, Dr. Med. Sci., Professor, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, Head of the Outpatient Department, Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obseters, Gynecology and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, vprilepskaya@mail.ru, 117997, Russia, Moscow, Academician Oparin str., 4.
Elena A. Mezhevitinova, PhD, Leading Researcher of the Outpatient Department, Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obseters, Gynecology
and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, mejevitinova@mail.ru, 117997, Russia, Moscow, Academician Oparin str., 4.
Andrey E. Donnikov, PhD, Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Genetic Methods, Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obseters, Gynecology
and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, donnikov@dna-technology.ru, 117997, Russia, Moscow, Academician Oparin str., 4.
Jamilya I. Attoeva, postgraduate student of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, Perinatology and Reproductology, Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obseters, Gynecology and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, attoevadjamilya@gmail.com, 117997, Russia, Moscow, Academician Oparin str., 4

Authors’ contributions: Uruimagova A.T., Prilepskaya V.N., Mezhevitinova E.A., Donnikov A.E., Attoeva D.I. – development of the design of the investigation; obtaining data for analysis; review of publications on the topic of the article; analysis of the findings; writing the text of the manuscript.
Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Funding: The investigation has not been sponsored.

For citation: Uruimagova A.T., Prilepskaya V.N., Mezhevitinova E.A., Donnikov A.E., Attoeva D.I. Dysbiotic disorders and innate immunity indices in bacterial vaginosis.
Akusherstvo i Ginekologiya/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2021; 9: 28-35 (in Russian)
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2021.9.28-35

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