Seminal plasma inhibits Chlamydia trachomatis infection in vitro, and may have consequences on mucosal immunity

Seminal plasma (SP) is the main vector of C. trachomatis (CT) during heterosexual transmission from male to female. It has immunomodulatory properties and impacts the susceptibility to HIV-1 infection, but its role has not been explored during CT infection. In the female reproductive tract (FRT), CT infection induces cytokine production and neutrophil recruitment. The role of neutrophils during CT infection is partially described, they could be at the origin of the pathology observed during CT infection. During this study, we developed an experimental in vitro model to characterize the impact of CT infection and SP on endocervical epithelial cell immune response in the FRT. We also studied the impact of the epithelial cell response on neutrophil phenotype and functions. We showed that the production by epithelial cells of pro-inflammatory cytokines increased during CT infection. Moreover, the pool of SP as well as individuals SP inhibited CT infection in a dose-dependent manner. The pool of SP inhibited cytokine production in a dose-dependent manner. The pool of SP altered gene expression profiles of infected cells. The culture supernatants of cells infected or not with CT, in presence or not of the pool of SP, had an impact on neutrophil phenotype and functions: they affected markers of neutrophil maturation, activation and adhesion capacity, as well as the survival, ROS production and phagocytosis ability. This study proposes a novel approach to study the impact of the environment on the phenotype and functions of neutrophils in the FRT. It highlights the impact of the factors of the FRT environment, in particular SP and CT infection, on the mucosal inflammation and the need to take into account the SP component while studying sexually transmitted infections during heterosexual transmission from male to female.