Research
Influence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on in vitro growth of Plasmodium falciparum
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* Corresponding author: Diane W Taylor dwtaylor@hawaii.edu
- † Equal contributors
1 Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology, John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, 651 Ilalo Street, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
2 Department of Biology, Georgetown University, 37th and O Streets, NW, Washington DC, 20057, USA
3 AZ DataClinic, Inc, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
Malaria Journal 2009, 8:101 doi:10.1186/1475-2875-8-101
Published: 14 May 2009Abstract
Background
During pregnancy, women are more susceptible to Plasmodium falciparum infections and frequently have a higher parasitaemia than non-pregnant women. Several mechanisms are responsible for their increased susceptibility, including down-modulation of immune responses that aid in parasite clearance and sequestration of infected erythrocytes in the placenta. Early in pregnancy, a third mechanism may contribute to higher parasitaemia, since it has been reported that addition of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to in vitro cultures of the NF54-strain of P. falciparum results in increased parasite growth rates. The goal of this study was to further examine the effect of hCG on P. falciparum growth.
Methods
The NF54-3D7, FVO and 7G8 strains of P. falciparum were cultured in vitro with various physiological concentrations of hCG purchased from three sources. Infected erythrocytes were also co-cultured with a human cell line that naturally secretes hCG.
Results
Results from 14 experiments using different combinations of parasite strains and concentrations of hCG from different sources, as well as the co-culture studies, failed to provide convincing evidence that hCG enhances parasite growth in vitro.
Conclusion
Based on these data, it seems unlikely that hCG has a direct effect on the rate of parasite growth early in pregnancy.