Placental Cytokine and Chemokine Profiles Reflect Pregnancy Outcomes in Women Exposed to Plasmodium falciparum Infection

Abstract

g Pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM) can lead to severe complications for both mother and baby. Certain placental cytokine/ chemokine profiles have been shown to reflect poor pregnancy outcomes, including maternal anemia and low birth weight. In intervillous plasma samples from 400 Beninese women living in an area where Plasmodium falciparum is endemic, we quantified 16 cytokines/chemokines. We assessed their profiles in groups with PAM, with maternal anemia, with preterm births, or with a low birth weight for gestational age. Repeated ultrasound measurements ensured that prematurity and low birth weight were highly accurate. Preliminary analyses revealed trends for lower cytokine/chemokine concentrations in placental plasma associated both with babies with low birth weight for gestational age and with P. falciparum infection during pregnancy, while, as a function of the latter, the concentration of gamma interferon (IFN-␥)-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) was higher. Multivariate analyses showed that (i) higher placental plasma interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels were associated with P. falciparum infections and (ii) independently of P. falciparum infections, lower concentrations of both IFN-␥ and IL-5 were associated with low birth weight for gestational age. Our data further strengthen the idea that IL-10 and IP-10 could be useful diagnostic markers of P. falciparum infection during pregnancy. The concentrations of cytokines/chemokines in placental plasma may represent previously unrecognized markers of poor fetal growth.

Role of some biomarkers in placental malaria in women living in Yaoundé, Cameroon

“…This was more marked in the primipara. These observations corroborate previous findings in Africa where high plasma levels of IL-10 were associated with malaria infection during pregnancy (Kabyemela et al, 2008;Nmorsi et al, 2010;Boström et al, 2012;Chandrasiri Upeksha et al, 2013;Chêne et al, 2014). High IL-10 levels have also been reported in mice models during pregnancy malaria (Megnekou et al, 2013).…”

Impact of placental Plasmodium falciparum malaria infection on the Cameroonian maternal and neonate’s plasma levels of some cytokines known to regulate T cells differentiation and function

“…While a previous study demonstrated an association between cord blood cytokine levels of IFN-γ, IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-12p70, IL-10 cytokines, and reduced birth weight [33], this study, for the first time, shows that levels of IL-28A, IL-27 and IL-17E are elevated in cord plasma rather than in maternal peripheral plasma, and correlate positively with increasing baby birth weight. This positive association between birth weight and both the Th1-promoting (IL-27, IL-28A) and Th2-promoting cytokines (IL-17E) is consistent with the findings of Chêne and colleagues, who reported an association between low birth weight and decreasing level of both IFN-γ and IL-5 in intervellous plasma samples from Beninese women [34]. Findings from this study indicate that IL-28A, IL-27 and IL-17E cytokines might be implicated in fetal growth and suggest that a better understanding of the fetal environment mediated by multiple cytokines may be important for optimizing fetal growth outcomes in many settings.…”

Impact of placental malaria on maternal, placental and foetal cord responses and its role in pregnancy outcomes in women from Blue Nile State, Sudan

“…Several previous studies have shown elevated levels of type 2 anti-in ammatory cytokines IL-10 and IL-4 in the malariainfected group [13,15,23,25,30,31]. Our ndings were different from those reported by Bayoumi et al [11] and Chêne and et al [12] who found higher levels of IL-4 and IL-10 in the non-infected group. The ndings of the increased IL-6 levels in non-infected women is in agreement with the results of other studies [11,16,32,33].…”

“…P. falciparum infection during pregnancy increases the placental levels of IL-10 and IL-4 [13,25]. Elevated levels of the placental plasma anti-in ammatory cytokine, IL-10, were associated with PM, and were implicated in the pathogenesis of severe anemia [9,12,13]. Moreover, IL-10 has been identi ed as an immunosuppressive cytokine associated with poor pregnancy outcome in a mouse model of PM [26].…”