Abstract

Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes often are sequestered in the placenta and stimulate the accumulation of maternal mononuclear cells. In this study, the role that chemokines and cytokines play in mediating the inflammatory response was investigated. Placental parasites elicited a statistically significant increase in the levels of interferon (IFN)-gamma, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and interleukin (IL)-10, in plasma collected from the intervillous space. Explants of fetal tissue from malaria-positive placentas also secreted significantly enhanced amounts of IFN-gamma. Culture supernatant of maternal intervillous leukocytes obtained from infected placentas contained significantly higher levels of TNF-alpha, IL-10, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1alpha, MIP-1beta, and IFN-gamma inducible protein-10 than did cultures of white blood cells obtained from uninfected placentas. Taken together, these results show that both fetal and maternal cells secrete inflammatory and immunoregulatory cytokines in response to P. falciparum and suggest that beta-chemokines produced by maternal cells contribute to the accumulation of macrophages in the intervillous space.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.