Immunity to placental malaria. IV. Placental malaria is associated with up-regulation of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in intervillous blood
Chaisavaneeyakorn, S.; Moore, J.M.; Othoro, C.; Otieno, J.; Chaiyaroj, S.C.; Shi, Y.Ping.; Nahlen, B.L.; Lal, A.A.; Udhayakumar, V.
Journal of Infectious Diseases 186(9): 1371-1375
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-1899 PMID: 12402212 DOI: 10.1086/344322Document Number: 245358
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) may play a role in immune responses to malaria during pregnancy by virtue of its ability to activate macrophages and to overcome the immunosuppressive effect of glucocorticoids. The present study investigated whether plasma MIF levels are altered in pregnant women from Kenya with placental malaria (PM) and/or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. For the first time it is demonstrated that MIF levels in the intervillous blood (IVB) plasma were significantly elevated, compared with that in both peripheral plasma (~500-fold) and cord plasma (4.6-fold; P<0.01). IVB mononuclear cells also produced significantly higher levels of MIF, compared with that of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. PM was associated with increased levels of MIF in the IVB plasma (P<0.02). Primigravid and secundigravid women had significantly higher levels of MIF in their IVB plasma than did multigravid women (P<0.05). HIV infection did not significantly alter MIF levels in any site examined.