Role of Placental Alkaline Phosphatase in the Interaction between Human Placental Trophoblast and Trypanosoma cruzi

• Published in: Experimental and molecular pathology Vol. 72; no. 1; pp. 84 - 90
• Main Authors: Sartori, M.J., Lin, S., Frank, F.M., Malchiodi, E.L., de Fabro, S.P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.02.2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: Alkaline Phosphatase - blood; Alkaline Phosphatase - metabolism; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cells, Cultured; Chagas Disease - congenital; Chagas Disease - enzymology; Chagas Disease - physiopathology; congenital Chagas disease; Culture Techniques; Diseases of mother, fetus and pregnancy; Female; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Human protozoal diseases; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Infectious diseases; Isoenzymes - blood; Isoenzymes - metabolism; Medical sciences; membrane-anchored enzymes; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Parasitic diseases; Placenta - cytology; Placenta - drug effects; Placenta - enzymology; Placenta - parasitology; placenta, Trypanosoma cruzi; placental alkaline phosphatase; Pregnancy; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta; Protozoal diseases; Trophoblasts - parasitology; Tropical medicine; Trypanosoma cruzi - physiology; Trypanosomiasis; Type C Phospholipases - metabolism; South America; Argentina; America; congenital Chagas disease; placental alkaline phosphatase; placenta, Trypanosoma cruzi; membrane-anchored enzymes; Immunohistochemistry; Alkaline phosphatase; Protozoal disease; Pregnancy disorders; Pathogenesis; Phosphoric monoester hydrolases; Chagas disease; Esterases; Female; Trypanosomiasis; Kinetoplastida; Human; Trophoblaste; Protozoa; Congenital; Enzyme; Parasitosis; Trypanosoma cruzi; Infection; Pregnancy; Polymerase chain reaction; Pathology; Newborn diseases; Placenta; Hydrolases; Molecular biology; Histochemistry
• ISSN: 0014-4800; 1096-0945
• DOI: 10.1006/exmp.2001.2412

Congenital Chagas disease, due to the intracellular parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is associated with premature labor, miscarriage, and placentitis. Human enzyme placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) (EC 3.1.3.1.) is membrane-anchored through glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI). PLAP is present in plasma in late pregnancy, 36 to 40 weeks; there are lower levels in maternal Chagas disease. Infants born to such mothers may have congenital Chagas disease. Human placental villi (PV) were treated with phospholipase-C (PL-C) and then cultured with T. cruzi to determine the effect of the parasites on PLAP activity as an in vitro model. There is less PLAP activity after treatment by PL-C and during culture with T. cruzi. Pretreatment of PV with PL-C before culture with T. cruzi yielded essentially normal specific activity of PLAP and prevented or greatly reduced infective penetration of villi by parasites. The results are consistent with a pathogenetic role for placental alkaline phosphatase in congenital Chagas disease. Receptor activation of membrane attachment to PLAP may be a device used by T. cruzi to enable parasite invasion of human trophoblast.