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. 2023 Mar 28:13:1130186.
doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1130186. eCollection 2023.

Anti-phosphatidylserine antibody levels are low in multigravid pregnant women in a malaria-endemic area in Nigeria, and do not correlate with anti-VAR2CSA antibodies

Adebimpe Fasanya  1 , Nurat Mohammed  1 , Bandar Hasan Saleh  2   3 , Muyideen Kolapo Tijani  1   2 , Alexandra Teleka  2 , Maria Del Pilar Quintana  4 , Lars Hviid  4   5 , Kristina E M Persson  2
Affiliations

Anti-phosphatidylserine antibody levels are low in multigravid pregnant women in a malaria-endemic area in Nigeria, and do not correlate with anti-VAR2CSA antibodies

Adebimpe Fasanya et al. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. .

Abstract

Anemia is a common malaria-associated complication in pregnant women in endemic regions. Phosphatidylserine (PS) is exposed to the immune system during the massive destruction of red blood cells (RBCs) that accompany malaria, and antibodies against PS have been linked to anemia through destruction of uninfected RBCs. We determined levels of anti-PS IgG antibodies in pregnant women in Ibadan, Nigeria and correlated them to parameters of importance in development of anemia and immunity. Anti-PS correlated inversely with Packed Cell Volume (PCV), indicating that the antibodies could contribute to anemia. There was no correlation with anti-VAR2CSA IgG, haptoglobin or parasitemia, indicating that the modulation of anti-PS response is multifactorial in nature. Anti-PS levels were lowest in multigravidae compared to both primigravidae and secundigravidae and correlated inversely with age. In conclusion, lower levels of anti-PS in multigravidae could be beneficial in avoiding anemia.

Keywords: P. falciparum; VAR2CSA; anemia; antibody; gravidity; malaria; phosphatidylserine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Comparison of anti-PS and anti-VAR2CSA antibody levels in pregnant women comparing anemic to those with normal PCV. (A) The median anti-PS antibody level was significantly higher in anemic pregnant women (** represent ≤ 0.01). (B) There was no difference in median anti-VAR2CSA antibody levels between anemic and normal pregnant women (p = 0.18). ns, not statistically significant.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of anti-PS and anti-VAR2CSA antibody levels by gravidity. (A) Anti-PS levels were low in multigravidae when compared to both primigravidae and secundigravidae (** and **** represent p ≤ 0.01 and p < 0.0001, respectively). (B) Anti-VAR2CSA antibody seemed to be highest in multigravidae, but it was not statistically significant (p = 0.35). ns, not statistically significant.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison between pregnant women who participated (IPTp) or did not participate (No IPTp) in the IPTp program. There was no difference between the groups for levels of (A) Anti-PS (p=0,49) or (B) Anti-VAR2CSA (p=0,54). ns, not statistically significant.
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