Contribution of Murine Models to the Study of Malaria During Pregnancy

Author(s)

Barateiro, Andre ^[1] ; Pereira, Marcelo L. M. ^{[1, 2]} ; Epiphanio, Sabrina ^[3] ; Marinho, Claudio R. F. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biomed Sci, Dept Parasitol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Lisbon, Fac Sci, Inst Biosyst & Integrat Sci, Lisbon - Portugal

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Pharmaceut Sci, Dept Clin Anal & Toxicol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Review article
• Source: FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY; v. 10, JUN 19 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

Annually, many pregnancies occur in areas of Plasmodium spp. transmission, particularly in underdeveloped countries with widespread poverty. Estimations have suggested that several million women are at risk of developing malaria during pregnancy. In particular cases, systemic infection caused by Plasmodium spp. may extend to the placenta, dysregulating local homeostasis and promoting the onset of placental malaria; these processes are often associated with increased maternal and fetal mortality, intrauterine growth restriction, preterm delivery, and reduced birth weight. The endeavor to understand and characterize the mechanisms underlying disease onset and placental pathology face several ethical and logistical obstacles due to explicit difficulties in assessing human gestation and biological material. Consequently, the advent of murine experimental models for the study of malaria during pregnancy has substantially contributed to our understanding of this complex pathology. Herein, we summarize research conducted during recent decades using murine models of malaria during pregnancy and highlight the most relevant findings, as well as discuss similarities to humans and the translational capacity of achieved results. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/10081-5 - The role heme oxygenase 1 in malaria-associated acute lung injury
• Grantee: Marcelo Luís Monteiro Pereira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 17/05782-8 - The study of vascular permeability in the malaria-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome
• Grantee: Sabrina Epiphanio
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/03939-7 - Impact of autophagy and inflammasome on the pathogenesis of Placental Malaria
• Grantee: André Filipe Rivais Martins Barateiro
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 18/20468-0 - Recrudescence of the malaria during pregnancy: effects and mechanisms
• Grantee: Cláudio Romero Farias Marinho
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants