[Bactericidal effects of human oral and urinary system epithelial cells against different Escherichia coli strains]

The functions of epithelial cells are more than a physical selective barrier for protection from mucosal pathogens. The epithelial response regulated by host-microorganism interaction may change due to histological and physiological differences between sterile and nonsterile sites. In this study we examined the presence of a difference between bactericidal capacities of urinary and oral epithelial cells against different strains of Escherichia coli. Oral epithelial cells were collected from unstimulated saliva and uroepithelial cells were collected from urine of eight healthy volunteers. E. coli K12 and O75 strains and epithelial cells were prepared for the experiment, added to microplates and incubated for one hour. The growth of bacteria was detected by the quantitative colony counting method. Antibacterial effects of the oral and urinary epithelial cells against E. coli K12 and O75 strains were 49.8%, 34.7%, 45.7% and 29.2%, respectively. As a result, it was detected that the antibacterial activity of oral epithelial cells to E. coli K12 and O75 were higher than urinary epithelial cells.