Taenia crassiceps cysticerci antigenic extract controls Toxoplasma gondii proliferation in human trophoblast cells and upregulates IL-10 production.

Neglected tropical diseases caused by helminths such as strongyloidiasis and those caused by protozoa such as toxoplasmosis are public health problems, especially in poorer countries. Considering that helminthic infections can alter susceptibility to other parasites, it is important to study the impact of this interaction in different scenarios/models, such as the maternal-fetal interface. This research aims to evaluate the role of saline extract (SE) of Taenia crassiceps cysticerci during Toxoplasma gondii infection in human villous trophoblastic cells of the BeWo lineage. The saline extract was obtained from T. crassiceps cysticerci and used in BeWo cells at different concentrations (64; 32; 16; 8;4; 2;1; 0.5; 0.25 and 0.125 μg/ml). The following parameters were evaluated: (a) cell viability using the MTT method, (b) the effect of ES on parasite proliferation, assessed via the β-galactosidase reaction, and (c) cytokine secretion (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and MIF) in culture supernatants, measured by the immunoenzymatic ELISA assay, after stimulation with ES, with or without T. gondii infection. SE did not affect the viability of BeWo cells. In the proliferation assay, at concentrations tested (32 and 8 μg/mL), there was a reduction in the number of T. gondii, similar to the effect observed with sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine treatment. Regarding cytokines, IL-10 production increased after SE stimulation, at the same concentrations where parasitism control was observed. This finding contributes to the understanding of co-infection with Taenia sp. and T. gondii. Taenia may potentially influence drug interactions during treatment and impact the outcome of vertical transmission of toxoplasmosis.