Increased Serum Levels of Growth-Differentiation Factor 3 (GDF3) and Inflammasome-Related Markers in Pregnant Women during Acute Zika Virus Infection
Carlos Eduardo de Castro Alves,
Sabrina Araújo de Melo,
Jean de Melo Silva,
Leonardo Calheiros de Oliveira,
Valdinete Alves do Nascimento,
João Hugo Abdalla Santos,
Felipe Gomes Naveca,
Gemilson Soares Pontes
Affiliations
Carlos Eduardo de Castro Alves
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Imunologia Básica e Aplicada—PPGIBA, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Amazonas—UFAM, Manaus 69080-900, Brazil
Sabrina Araújo de Melo
Laboratório de Virologia e Imunologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus 69060-001, Brazil
Jean de Melo Silva
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Imunologia Básica e Aplicada—PPGIBA, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Amazonas—UFAM, Manaus 69080-900, Brazil
Leonardo Calheiros de Oliveira
Laboratório de Virologia e Imunologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus 69060-001, Brazil
Valdinete Alves do Nascimento
Laboratório de Ecologia de Doenças Transmissíveis na Amazônia, Instituto Leônidas e Maria Deane, Fiocruz, Manaus 69057-070, Brazil
João Hugo Abdalla Santos
Hospital Adventista de Manaus, Manaus 69075-351, Brazil
Felipe Gomes Naveca
Laboratório de Ecologia de Doenças Transmissíveis na Amazônia, Instituto Leônidas e Maria Deane, Fiocruz, Manaus 69057-070, Brazil
Gemilson Soares Pontes
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Imunologia Básica e Aplicada—PPGIBA, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Amazonas—UFAM, Manaus 69080-900, Brazil
The systemic inflammatory response elicited by acute Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy plays a key role in the clinical outcomes in mothers and congenitally infected offspring. The present study aimed to evaluate the serum levels of GDF-3 and inflammasome-related markers in pregnant women during acute ZIKV infection. Serum samples from pregnant (n = 18) and non-pregnant (n = 22) women with acute ZIKV infection were assessed for NLRP3, IL-1β, IL-18, and GDF3 markers through an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. ZIKV-negative pregnant (n = 18) and non-pregnant women (n = 15) were used as control groups. All serum markers were highly elevated in the ZIKV-infected groups in comparison with control groups (p p p p p < 0.0001). The findings indicated that acute ZIKV infection during pregnancy induces the overexpression of GDF-3 and inflammasome-related markers, which may contribute to congenital disorders and harmful pregnancy outcomes.
