ReviewAmerican journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989)2014
The structure of the human vaginal stratum corneum and its role in immune defense.
Review in American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989), 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 113 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
113 citing papers in PubMed, 191 citations in OpenAlex.
- Trial
- Efficacy and safety of prolonged-release hyaluronic acid derivative vaginal application in the postpartum period: a prospective randomised clinical trial.Annals of medicine · 2021Trial
- Use of contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate is associated with impaired cervicovaginal mucosal integrity.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2018Trial
- The periodical formation of the vaginal closure membrane in guinea pigs is a regeneration process maintained by a special stem cell niche.Research square · 2026Article
- Vaginal microbiomes and their pertinent social context: a microbial ecological review proffering AMR-STI acquisition and emergence.Biology of sex differences · 2026Review
- Raman spectroscopy for nondestructive detection of vaginal tissue alterations in the fibulin-5 murine model of pelvic organ prolapse.Biophotonics discovery · 2026Article
- Review
- Prevotella bivia Influences Antiretroviral Pharmacokinetics and Viral Replication in an Ex Vivo Vaginal Tissue Model.Clinical and translational science · 2026Article
- Anaerobe-Driven Inflammation and Epithelial Barrier Disruption in Genital HIV Acquisition.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2026Review
- Beyond the Barrier: Epithelial Cells as Immune Sentinels in the Female Genital Tract.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2026Review
- Article
- Unraveling the relationship between the vaginal microbiome and return to estrus in post-weaning sows.BMC veterinary research · 2026Article
- Cell-Mediated Immunity Against Human Papillomavirus Infection: From Viral Clearance to Oncogenesis.Viruses · 2026Review
- Personalized Models of Biological Barriers and Their Diseases: Recent Progress with Organs-On-Chips.Advanced biology · 2026Review
- Mucosal administration of lipid nanoparticles containing self-amplifying mRNA induces local uptake and expression in a pig model as a potential vaccination platform against STIs.Drug delivery and translational research · 2026Article
- Bacterial vaginosis: a narrative review of concepts and best practices.Gynecology and pelvic medicine · 2026Review
- The neovaginal microbiota, symptoms, and local immune correlates in transfeminine individuals with penile inversion vaginoplasty.Cell reports · 2025Article
- Vaginal microbiome and preterm birth: Composition, mechanisms and microbiota‑directed therapies (Review).International journal of molecular medicine · 2025Review
- Exploring the vaginal ecosystem: insights into host-microbe interactions and microbial community dynamics.Infection and immunity · 2025Review
- Switch-like gene expression modulates disease risk.Nature communications · 2025Article
53 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The superficial layers of the human vaginal epithelium, which form an interface between host and environment, are comprised of dead flattened cells that have undergone a terminal cell differentiation program called cornification. This entails extrusion of nuclei and intercellular organelles, and the depletion of functional DNA and RNA precluding the synthesis of new proteins. As a consequence, the terminally differentiated cells do not maintain robust intercellular junctions and have a diminished capacity to actively respond to microbial exposure, yet the vaginal stratum corneum (SC) mounts an effective defense against invasive microbial infections. The vaginal SC in reproductive-aged women is comprised of loosely connected glycogen-filled cells, which are permeable to bacterial and viral microbes as well as molecular and cellular mediators of immune defense. We propose here that the vaginal SC provides a unique microenvironment that maintains vaginal health by fostering endogenous lactobacilli and retaining critical mediators of acquired and innate immunity. A better understanding of the molecular and physicochemical properties of the vaginal SC could promote the design of more effective topical drugs and microbicides.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.