Trypanosoma cruzi alters the trophoblast turnover in a model of denuded placental chorionic villi

DÍAZ-LUJÁN CINTIA; TRIQUELL MARÍA FERNANDA; REPOSSI G; QUIROGA PATRICIA; PETS EVELYN; BOLATTI ELISA; FRETES RICARDO E

Los Cocos, Córdoba

Simposio; III Latin American Symposium on Maternal-Fetal Interaction and Placenta: Basic and Clinical research; 2007

American Society for Reproductive Immunology

Objective: Because placental chorionic villi may act as a barrier to the causal agent of Chagas disease, the effect of Trypanosoma cruzi on the trophoblast turnover were analyzed in chorionic villi denuded of their syncytiotrophoblast (STB). Methods: Three chorionic villi explants (30 mg) from placentas at term were denuded of STB with trypsin 0.125%. Explants were co-cultured with 106 trypomastigotes of Tulahuen and Lucky strains (isolated from congenital Chagas disease) strains, with 10% FBS at 37C in 5% CO2 for 72h. Controls were carried out. Explants were processed for structural studies and immunohistochemistry for nitric oxide synthase III (eNOS), alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) and E-cadherin. Proliferation of cytotrophoblast (CTB) was measured (Axiovision 3.0.6). Concentration of hCG (mIU/ml), PLAP activity (mmol of p-nitrophenol/mg protein/min) and the percentage of T. cruzi cell viability in cell culture supernatants were determined. Results: In the denuded explants the Lucky strain showed less percentage of proliferation of the CTB (0.28%) and a diminished level of hCG (30926.87) than Tulahuen (p