Comparison Study of Phagocytosis Activity among Live Candida albicans, Live and Heat-treated Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Fungi and yeast can stimulate neutrophil activity through phagocytosis mechanism that can cause inflammation and pathogenesis. The activation of neutrophil phagocytosis by baker’s yeast that was heated at baking temperature has not yet been clearly defined. This study aimed to compare the phagocytosis activity among live Candida albicans (CL), live Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SL) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae that was heated at baking temperature (SH). Phagocytosis activity was assessed by mixing whole blood from 30 healthy volunteers with normal white blood cells and absolute neutrophil counts with a yeast suspension adjusted to an absorbance of 600 nm at 5. The phagocytosis percentage and phagocytosis indexes were determined at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 minutes of incubation. At 25 minutes of incubation, it was found that the median [interquartile range] of phagocytosis percentage against CL, SL and SH were 90.0 [85.0-97.0] %, 84.0 [78.0-91.0]% and 43.0 [28.0-74.5]%, respectively. The median [interquartile range] of phagocytosis index against CL, SL and SH were 2.62 [1.83-3.26], 1.90 [1.46-2.14] and 0.57 [0.40-1.48], respectively. The phagocytosis percentage and index between CL versus SL, CL versus SH and SL versus SH were significantly difference (p-value < 0.05). This suggested that Saccharomyces cerevisiae with heat-treated at baking temperature was still capable to stimulate phagocytosis, although the phagocytosis percentage and phagocytosis index of both of these live yeast cells were significantly higher.