title: Differential susceptibility of isolated human trophoblasts to infection by Trypanosoma cruzi.
abstract: The aim of the work was to analyze the susceptibility of the placental syncytiotrophoblast (STB) and cytotrophoblast (CTB) cells to infection by the causal agent of congenital Chagas' disease, Trypanosoma cruzi, and the possible parasite route for placental invasion. Monolayers of CTB and STB and VERO as control cells were used. The infection of STB was significantly lower that of the CTB and Vero cells (p < 0.05) which coincided with a significantly increased mortality of parasite cells in the culture medium and trypanocidal levels of nitric oxide. We conclude that the syncytiotrophoblast, the first placental barrier, is the main barrier of the chorionic villous that limits the infection by T. cruzi. This work opens the possibility of a new mechanism for placental infection when there are discontinuities in the first placental barrier.
authors.affiliation: Placenta and Chagas Laboratory, Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology Department, Medicine Faculty, Universidad Nacional Córdoba, Enrique Barros y Enfermera Gordillo, CP 5000, Córdoba, Argentina. cintiadiaz@yahoo.com
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Díaz-Luján
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Triquell
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schijman
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Paglini
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Fretes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000151:congenital / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned / Q000378:metabolism; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000469:parasitology; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D014709:Vero Cells
chemical_list: D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D009569:Nitric Oxide