In Vivo and in Vitro Analysis of Lysosomes and Acid Phosphatase Activity in Human Chagasic Placentas

• Published in: Experimental and molecular pathology Vol. 63; no. 3; pp. 153 - 160
• Main Authors: Fretes, Ricardo E., De Fabro, Sofı́a P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.12.1995; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acid Phosphatase - metabolism; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Chagas Disease - enzymology; Culture Techniques; Female; Histocytochemistry; Human protozoal diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Lysosomes - enzymology; Medical sciences; Microscopy, Electron; Parasitic diseases; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic - enzymology; Protozoal diseases; Trophoblasts - enzymology; Tropical medicine; Trypanosoma cruzi - pathogenicity; Trypanosomiasis; South America; Argentina; America; Human; Protozoal disease; Pregnancy disorders; Enzyme; Pathogenesis; Lysosome; Phosphoric monoester hydrolases; Chagas disease; Esterases; Parasitosis; Electron microscopy; Placenta diseases; Infection; Pathology; Hydrolases; Trypanosomiasis; Acid phosphatase; Histochemistry
• ISSN: 0014-4800; 1096-0945
• DOI: 10.1006/exmp.1995.1039

A structural, cytochemical, stereological, and biochemical study of lysosomes and a lysosome marker, the enzyme acid phosphatase, was performed, both in placentas at term from chagasic pregnant women without fetal infection and in normal placentas at term cocultured in vitro with Trypanosoma cruzi. It was found that in placentas from chagasic women lysosomes were normally distributed in the trophoblast. Stereological analysis showed that lysosomes and cytochemical acid phosphatase (AcP) activity were increased in the trophoblast of chagasic placentas. AcP activity increased in subcellular fractions of the isolated trophoblast from chagasic placentas, and the lysosomal fraction of those placentas exhibited the highest value of enzymatic activity in comparison to controls ( P < 0.05). No differences in AcP activity were observed between homogenates of normal placentas cocultured with T. cruzi and controls. These data suggest that the placental lysosome population might be involved in the process of placental infection by T. cruzi.