{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,1]],"date-time":"2026-08-01T15:51:27Z","timestamp":1785599487454,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,17]],"date-time":"2024-05-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1715904000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Immunol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>Depending on the microenvironment, \u03b3\u03b4 T cells may assume characteristics similar to those of Th1, Th2, Th17, regulatory T cells or antigen presenting cells. Despite the wide documentation of the effect of Th1\/Th2 balance on pregnancy associated malaria and outcomes, there are no reports on the relationship between \u03b3\u03b4 T cell phenotype change and Placental Malaria (PM) with pregnancy outcomes. This study sought to investigate the involvement of \u03b3\u03b4 T cells and its subsets in placental <jats:italic>Plasmodium falciparum<\/jats:italic> malaria.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>In a case-control study conducted in Yaound\u00e9, Cameroon from March 2022 to May 2023, peripheral, placental and cord blood samples were collected from 50 women at delivery (29 PM negative: PM- and 21 PM positive: PM+; as diagnosed by light microscopy). Hemoglobin levels were measured using hemoglobinometer. PBMCs, IVBMCs and CBMCs were isolated using histopaque-1077 and used to characterize total \u03b3\u03b4 T cell populations and subsets (V\u03b41<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup>, V\u03b42<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup>, V\u03b41<jats:sup>-<\/jats:sup>V\u03b42<jats:sup>-<\/jats:sup>) by flow cytometry.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Placental <jats:italic>Plasmodium falciparum<\/jats:italic> infection was associated with significant increase in the frequency of total \u03b3\u03b4 T cells in IVBMC and of the V\u03b41<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> subset in PBMC and IVBMC, but decreased frequency of the V\u03b42<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> subset in PBMC and IVBMC. The expression of the activation marker: HLA-DR, and the exhaustion markers (PD1 and TIM3) within total \u03b3\u03b4 T cells and subsets were significantly up-regulated in PM+ compared to PM- group. The frequency of total \u03b3\u03b4 T cells in IVBMC, TIM-3 expression within total \u03b3\u03b4 T cells and subsets in IVBMC, as well as HLA-DR expression within total \u03b3\u03b4 T cells and V\u03b42<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> subset in IVBMC were negatively associated with maternal hemoglobin levels. Furthermore, the frequency of total \u03b3\u03b4 T cells in PBMC and PD1 expression within the V\u03b42<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> subset in CBMC were negatively associated with birth weight contrary to the frequency of V\u03b41<jats:sup>-<\/jats:sup>V\u03b42<jats:sup>-<\/jats:sup> subset in PBMC and HLA-DR expression within the V\u03b42<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> subset in IVBMC which positively associated with maternal hemoglobin level and birth weight, respectively.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>The data indicate up-regulation of activated and exhausted \u03b3\u03b4 T cells in <jats:italic>Plasmodium falciparum<\/jats:italic> placental malaria, with effects on pregnancy outcomes including maternal hemoglobin level and birth weight.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2024.1385380","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,17]],"date-time":"2024-05-17T04:28:06Z","timestamp":1715920086000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Phenotypic changes of \u03b3\u03b4 T cells in Plasmodium falciparum placental malaria and pregnancy outcomes in women at delivery in Cameroon"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Chris Marco Mbianda","family":"Nana","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bodin Darcisse Kwanou","family":"Tchakount\u00e9","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bernard Marie Zambo","family":"Bitye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Balotin","family":"Fogang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Berenice Kenfack Tekougang","family":"Zangue","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Reine Medouen Ndeumou","family":"Seumko\u2019o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Benderli Christine","family":"Nana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rose Gana Fomban","family":"Leke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jean Claude","family":"Djontu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rafael Jos\u00e9","family":"Arg\u00fcello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lawrence","family":"Ayong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rosette","family":"Megnekou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","volume-title":"World malaria report 2023","year":"2023"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"97","DOI":"10.1016\/j.actatropica.2014.10.007","article-title":"Role of some biomarkers in placental malaria in women living in Yaound\u00e9, Cameroon","volume":"141","author":"Megnekou","year":"2015","journal-title":"Acta Trop"},{"key":"B3","volume-title":"World malaria report 2020: 20 years of global progress and challenges","year":"2020"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/science.272.5267.1502","article-title":"Adherence of plasmodium falciparum to chondroitin sulfate A in the human placenta","volume":"272","author":"Fried","year":"1996","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1084\/jem.20041579","article-title":"Evidence for the involvement of VAR2CSA in pregnancy-associated malaria","volume":"200","author":"Salanti","year":"2004","journal-title":"J Exp Med"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2021.644563","article-title":"High antibodies to VAR2CSA in response to malaria infection are associated with improved birthweight in a longitudinal study of pregnant women","volume":"12","author":"McLean","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Immunol"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/IAI.00446\u201315","article-title":"Phosphoantigen Burst upon Plasmodium falciparum Schizont Rupture Can Distantly Activate V\u03b39V\u03b42 T Cells","volume":"83","author":"Guenot","year":"2015","journal-title":"Infect Immun"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41577\u2013020-00452\u20134","article-title":"\u03b3\u03b4 T cells in tissue physiology and surveillance","volume":"21","author":"Ribot","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nat Rev Immunol"},{"key":"B9","article-title":"&gamma;&delta; 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