Affiliations: Inserm 665, Université des Antilles et de la Guyane, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe | Institut Pasteur, Laboratoire des Interactions Hôtes - Pathogènes, Les Abymes, Guadeloupe | Laboratoire ACTES, Département de Physiologie, Université des Antilles et de la Guyane, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe | Unité Transversale de la Drépanocytose, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe – Centre de Références Maladies Rares Antilles-Guyane
Note: [] Corresponding author: Philippe Connes, PhD, UMR Inserm 665, Hôpital Ricou, CHU de Pointe à Pitre, 97159 Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. E-mail: pconnes@yahoo.fr
Abstract: Pregnancy in sickle cell disease (SCD) has been associated with increased complications such as vaso-occlusive crises, severe anemia and foetal loss. It has been proposed that the sickling of red blood cells (RBCs) inside the placenta circulation could participate to these complications. The present study investigated the adhesion of sickle RBCs on human trophoblast-derived cell and its extracellular matrix. Results demonstrated 1) similar adhesion of sickle RBCs and healthy RBCs to trophoblast but 2) a greater adhesion of sickle RBCs to the extracellular matrix of trophoblasts as compared with healthy RBCs. This greater adhesion could partly involve the Lu/BCAM glycoproteins and could participate to the complications reported in SCD pregnant women.
Keywords: Sickle red cells, flow adhesion, pregnancy complications
