The Cervicovaginal Mucus Barrier.
Int J Mol Sci
; 21(21)2020 Nov 04.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33158227
ABSTRACT
Preterm births are a global health priority that affects 15 million babies every year worldwide. There are no effective prognostic and therapeutic strategies relating to preterm delivery, but uterine infections appear to be a major cause. The vaginal epithelium is covered by the cervicovaginal mucus, which is essential to health because of its direct involvement in reproduction and functions as a selective barrier by sheltering the beneficial lactobacilli while helping to clear pathogens. During pregnancy, the cervical canal is sealed with a cervical mucus plug that prevents the vaginal flora from ascending toward the uterine compartment, which protects the fetus from pathogens. Abnormalities of the cervical mucus plug and bacterial vaginosis are associated with a higher risk of preterm delivery. This review addresses the current understanding of the cervicovaginal mucus and the cervical mucus plug and their interactions with the microbial communities in both the physiological state and bacterial vaginosis, with a focus on gel-forming mucins. We also review the current state of knowledge of gel-forming mucins contained in mouse cervicovaginal mucus and the mouse models used to study bacterial vaginosis.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Vagina
/
Colo do Útero
/
Transmissão Vertical de Doenças Infecciosas
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Muco
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Animals
/
Female
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Humans
/
Pregnancy
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article