The effect of Candida albicans on the expression levels of toll-like receptor 2 and interleukin-8 in HaCaT cells under High- and Low-glucose conditions

Background: The diabetics are prone to skin infections, especially with Candida albicans . It is important to elucidate the different antifungal abilities of patients with hyperglycemia and healthy controls for the treatment of this condition. The toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and interleukin (IL)-8 secreted by keratinocytes counteract C. albicans . Aim: This study aims to explore the differential expression of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and interleukin (IL)-8 secretion by keratinocytes between controls and diabetic patients when challenged with C. albicans . Materials and Methods: HaCaT cells were cultured in high-glucose (HG) Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) and low-glucose (LG) DMEM. Then, they were exposed to C. albicans hyphae for 24 h. The expression levels of TLR2 and IL-8 were determined at different periods in both the HG and LG groups. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed in this study. The morphological changes of HaCaT cells under two different glucose concentrations were also observed. Results: We found that the expression levels of both TLR2 and IL-8 increased and then decreased in the two groups. Notably, the IL-8 levels in the LG group were higher than those in the HG group at each time point ( P C. albicans ( P P Conclusion: These observations showed that TLR2 and IL-8 act on the keratinocytes interacting with C. albicans , and HG status might affect the function of HaCaT cells by reducing the secretion of IL-8 and TLR2.