Effect of Candida albicans plus histamine on prostaglandin E₂ production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy women and women with recurrent candidal vaginitis

The in vitro production of prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in response to viable Candida albicans, histamine, and C. albicans plus histamine was examined. With PBMC from 10 healthy women, C. albicans but not histamine induced PGE₂ at a low level (100 pg/ml). However, C. albicans plus histamine acted synergistically to stimulate PGE2 production (448 pg/ml). PBMC from 8 of 10 women with recurrent Candidal vaginitis also produced maximal levels of PGE₂ in the presence of C. albicans plus histamine. Production of tumor necrosis factor by PBMC from patients and controls was unaffected by histamine in both the presence and absence of C. albicans. However, unlike the controls, PBMC from six of the patients who were atopic and from two nonatopic patients spontaneously released PGE₂ in vitro. Addition of 4 or 10 units/ml interferon-γ inhibited spontaneous and C. albicans-induced PGE₂ production by PBMC. These data reinforce the evidence that immediate hypersensitivity responses may be involved in the etiology of recurrent candidal vaginitis.