Enhancement of Escherichia coli adherence to epithelial cells derived from estrogen-stimulated rats.

The effect of exogenous estrogen administered to male and oophorectomized female rats was investigated with regard to in vitro adherence of eight uropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli to exfoliated bladder and vaginal epithelial cells. Uroepithelial cells obtained from estrogenized male and estrogenized oophorectomized female rats and vaginal cells obtained from estrogenized oophorectomized female rats demonstrated significantly enhanced (P less than 0.005) host cell avidity for E. coli attachment, irrespective of bacterial adhesin expressed, when compared with such cells from nonestrogenized male and female oophorectomized rats. These animal studies suggest that female reproductive hormones may contribute to urinary-tract infection in premenopausal females by enhancing susceptibility to E. coli colonization of uroepithelial cells.