Avaliação do estímulo do extrato antigênico de Taenia crassiceps na infecção de Toxoplasma gondii em células trofoblásticas humanas

Abstract

The taeniasis-cysticercosis complex, considered a neglected tropical disease caused by helminths, and protozoan infections such as toxoplasmosis constitute a public health problem, especially in developing countries. Considering that helminth infections can alter susceptibility to other parasites, it is important to understand the impacts of this interaction in different models, such as at the maternal-fetal interface. This study aimed to evaluate the role of the saline extract (SE) of Taenia crassiceps cysticerci during Toxoplasma gondii infection in BeWo trophoblastic cells. The saline extract was obtained from T. crassiceps metacestodes and applied to cells at different concentrations (64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1, 0.5, 0.25, and 0.125 μg/mL). The parameters evaluated included: (a) cell viability, using the MTT assay, (b) the effect of SE on T. gondii proliferation, assessed by the β-galactosidase reaction, and (c) cytokine secretion (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and MIF) in culture supernatants, measured by ELISA immunoassay, after stimulation with SE, with or without T. gondii infection. SE did not affect the viability of BeWo cells. In the proliferation assay, at the tested concentrations (32 and 8 μg/mL), there was a reduction in the number of T. gondii, like the effect observed with standard treatment using sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine. Regarding cytokines, IL-10 production increased after stimulation with SE, under the same conditions in which a decrease in T. gondii proliferation was observed. These findings contributed to the understanding of Taenia sp. and T. gondii coinfection. Taenia crassiceps antigens may potentially influence drug interactions during treatment and impact the outcome of vertical transmission of toxoplasmosis.