DETECTION OF AQUAPORIN 3 IN EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES OF PLACENTAL EXPLANTS AND IN MATERNAL PLASMA AS A POTENTIAL BIOMARKER OF PREECLAMPSIA

SZPILBARG NATALIA; SIERRA, MATÍAS; SAR, J; DAMIANO ALICIA E

Buenos Aires

Congreso; Reunion Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Fisiología; 2023

SAFIS

Introduction: Preeclampsia (PE) is a human gestational syndrome associated with placental insufficiency and an increased release of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from the syncytiotrophoblast into maternal circulation. Aquaporin 3 (AQP3) is involved in trophoblast migration and its expression is decreased in placentas with PE. Objectives: To validate a method to detect AQP3 in EVs from maternal plasma and placental explant culture supernatant to evaluate the potential utility of AQP3 as a biomarker of PE. Methods: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Hospital Naval de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. EDTAanticoagulated maternal blood and placentas from normal and PE pregnancies were collected under informed consent.Placentas were obtained immediately and processed within one hour after cesarean section. Explants of normal and PE placentas were prepared, cultured 18 h at 37 0 C, and the culture medium was collected. Plasma and explant EVs were obtained by differential centrifugation, filtration and ultracentrifugation. Samples enriched in EVs were characterized by DLS, NTA, transmission electron microscopy and western blot to analyze the presence of CD63 and HSP70. Protein expression of AQP3 was determined in all cases. Placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP), syncytiotrophoblast marker, was then analyzed to confirm the presence of EVs of placental origin in plasma EV samples. Results: Preliminary results show that samples enriched in EVs were obtained, EVs of placental origin were present in plasma EVs and that AQP3 was detectable in both plasma and explant EVs samples. In addition, AQP3 content was increased in EVs from PE explants. Conclusion: This work lays the foundations to evaluate whether AQP3 is differentially expressed in placental-released EVs under normal and pathological conditions. If these changes are in turn reflected in the AQP3 content of placental EVs in maternal plasma, AQP3 could be a potential candidate PE biomarker.