PMC:4503824 / 26568-27753 JSONTXT

{"project":"2_test","denotations":[{"id":"25498576-8621921-43267811","span":{"begin":561,"end":565},"obj":"8621921"},{"id":"25498576-21960987-43267812","span":{"begin":663,"end":667},"obj":"21960987"},{"id":"25498576-1639513-43267813","span":{"begin":903,"end":907},"obj":"1639513"},{"id":"25498576-11035733-43267814","span":{"begin":1013,"end":1017},"obj":"11035733"}],"text":"Despite a potential key role in orchestrating the type of immune response, neutrophils are primarily active in their use of oxidative and non-oxidative mechanisms to combat and degrade microbes. Neutrophils release reactive oxidative species and their intermediates (hydroxyl and hypochlorite ions) on encountering cryptococci. However, C. neoformans is able to counteract this host defence, through production of mannitol, which acts as a scavenger for these reactive oxygen intermediates, thus reducing their potential for cellular damage (Chaturvedi et al., 1996). Similarly, melanised cryptococci are also resistant to this neutrophil attack (Qureshi et al., 2011). A non-oxidative host defence delivered by neutrophils is through production of proteins found within their other granule types. These proteins, for example defensins (that are not present in mouse neutrophils (Eisenhauer and Lehrer, 1992)) exert a degradative effect on cryptococcal cells, in addition to oxidative mechanisms (Mambula et al., 2000). These anti-cryptococcal defences highlight how neutrophils are able to combat and degrade invading cryptococci, despite fungal burden not being neutrophil dependant."}