Shiga toxin type 2 affects human trophoblast first trimester cells.

SCALISE MARÍA LUJÁN; RECA A; DAMIANO ALICA; SACERDOTI FLAVIA; IBARRA CRISTINA

Puerto Varas

Simposio; SLIMP2017; 2017

Sociedad Latinoamericana de Interacción Materno.Fetal

Shiga toxin type 2 (Stx2) is the main virulence factor of Shiga toxin pro-ducing Escherichia coli (STEC). STEC are pathogens involved in food-bornediseases and are responsible for Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome develop-ment. We have previously demonstrated that Stx2 induce miscarriage andpremature delivery in rats.Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Stx2 onhuman first trimester trophoblast cells.Methods: Swan71 and HTR-8 cells were exposed to different concentra-tions of pure Stx2 (1- 0.001 mg/ml) with or without lipopolysaccharide(LPS) 5 mg/ml in medium without serum (arrested conditions). Cellviability was evaluated at 24 h of Stx2-treatment by neutral red uptake.Migration was studied at 8 and 24 h by the wound-healing assay. More-over, protein expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) wasdetermined in the Swan71 supernatants at 24, 48, and 72 h in a gelzymography.Results: Stx2 did not affect cell viability in the HTR-8 and Swan71lines even in the presence of LPS although impaired Swan71 cellmigration after 24 h of treatment. Preliminary results showed that 1mg/ml of Stx2 decreased the MMP-2 expression in Swan71 cells (39.9± 11.6%).Conclusion: These data indicate that Stx2 could affect trophoblast inva-sion and cause alterations in the maternal-placental interface and com-plications during gestation.