Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Immunology Laboratory of the Biotechnology Center, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Front Immunol. 2024 May 17;15:1385380. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1385380. eCollection 2024.
Depending on the microenvironment, γδ T cells may assume characteristics similar to those of Th1, Th2, Th17, regulatory T cells or antigen presenting cells. Despite the wide documentation of the effect of Th1/Th2 balance on pregnancy associated malaria and outcomes, there are no reports on the relationship between γδ T cell phenotype change and Placental Malaria (PM) with pregnancy outcomes. This study sought to investigate the involvement of γδ T cells and its subsets in placental malaria.
In a case-control study conducted in Yaoundé, Cameroon from March 2022 to May 2023, peripheral, placental and cord blood samples were collected from 50 women at delivery (29 PM negative: PM- and 21 PM positive: PM+; as diagnosed by light microscopy). Hemoglobin levels were measured using hemoglobinometer. PBMCs, IVBMCs and CBMCs were isolated using histopaque-1077 and used to characterize total γδ T cell populations and subsets (Vδ1, Vδ2, Vδ1Vδ2) by flow cytometry.
Placental infection was associated with significant increase in the frequency of total γδ T cells in IVBMC and of the Vδ1 subset in PBMC and IVBMC, but decreased frequency of the Vδ2 subset in PBMC and IVBMC. The expression of the activation marker: HLA-DR, and the exhaustion markers (PD1 and TIM3) within total γδ T cells and subsets were significantly up-regulated in PM+ compared to PM- group. The frequency of total γδ T cells in IVBMC, TIM-3 expression within total γδ T cells and subsets in IVBMC, as well as HLA-DR expression within total γδ T cells and Vδ2 subset in IVBMC were negatively associated with maternal hemoglobin levels. Furthermore, the frequency of total γδ T cells in PBMC and PD1 expression within the Vδ2 subset in CBMC were negatively associated with birth weight contrary to the frequency of Vδ1Vδ2 subset in PBMC and HLA-DR expression within the Vδ2 subset in IVBMC which positively associated with maternal hemoglobin level and birth weight, respectively.
The data indicate up-regulation of activated and exhausted γδ T cells in placental malaria, with effects on pregnancy outcomes including maternal hemoglobin level and birth weight.
根据微环境的不同，γδ T 细胞可能表现出类似于 Th1、Th2、Th17、调节性 T 细胞或抗原呈递细胞的特征。尽管 Th1/Th2 平衡对妊娠相关疟疾和结局的影响已有广泛的记载，但尚无关于 γδ T 细胞表型变化与胎盘疟疾 (PM) 与妊娠结局之间关系的报道。本研究旨在探讨 γδ T 细胞及其亚群在胎盘疟疾中的作用。
在 2022 年 3 月至 2023 年 5 月于喀麦隆雅温得进行的一项病例对照研究中，从分娩时的 50 名妇女（29 名 PM 阴性：PM-和 21 名 PM 阳性：PM+；根据光镜诊断）中采集外周血、胎盘和脐带血样本。使用血红蛋白计测量血红蛋白水平。使用 histopaque-1077 分离 PBMC、IVBMC 和 CBMC，并通过流式细胞术表征总 γδ T 细胞群体和亚群（Vδ1、Vδ2、Vδ1Vδ2）。
胎盘感染与 IVBMC 中总 γδ T 细胞和 PBMC 及 IVBMC 中 Vδ1 亚群的频率显著增加有关，但 PBMC 和 IVBMC 中 Vδ2 亚群的频率降低。与 PM-组相比，PM+组中总 γδ T 细胞及其亚群的激活标志物 HLA-DR 和耗竭标志物（PD1 和 TIM3）的表达显著上调。IVBMC 中的总 γδ T 细胞、IVBMC 中的总 γδ T 细胞和亚群中的 TIM-3 表达以及 IVBMC 中的总 γδ T 细胞和 Vδ2 亚群中的 HLA-DR 表达与产妇血红蛋白水平呈负相关。此外，PBMC 中的总 γδ T 细胞频率和 CBMC 中 Vδ2 亚群中的 PD1 表达与出生体重呈负相关，而 PBMC 中的 Vδ1Vδ2 亚群频率和 IVBMC 中的 Vδ2 亚群中的 HLA-DR 表达与产妇血红蛋白水平和出生体重呈正相关。
数据表明，胎盘疟疾中激活和耗竭的 γδ T 细胞上调，对妊娠结局产生影响，包括产妇血红蛋白水平和出生体重。
