Barbara Marlene Fuenzalida Saavedra

Dr. Barbara Marlene Fuenzalida Saavedra


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

5Years (2022-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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11 June 2022 in Cells
Verified
Journal Article
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BSBarbara Marlene Fuenzalida Saavedra
Barbara Marlene Fuenzalida Saavedra
SKSampada Kallol
Sampada Kallol
JZJonas Zaugg
Jonas Zaugg
MMMartin Mueller
Martin Mueller
HMHiten D Mistry
Hiten D Mistry
CAChristiane Albrecht
Christiane Albrecht
Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-specific disorder that affects 3 to 5% of pregnancies worldwide and is one of the leading causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, how these events occur remains unclear. We hypothesized that the induction of hypoxic conditions in vitro in primary human trophoblast cells would mimic several characteristics of PE found in vivo. We applied and characterized a model of primary cytotrophoblasts isolated from healthy pregnancies that were placed under different oxygen concentrations: ambient O2 (5% pCO2, 21%pO2, 24 h, termed “normoxia”), low O2 concentration (5% pCO2, 1.5% pO2, 24 h, termed “hypoxia”), or “hypoxia/reoxygenation” (H/R: 6 h intervals of normoxia and hypoxia for 24 h). Various established preeclamptic markers were assessed in this cell model and compared to placental tissues obtained from PE pregnancies. Seventeen PE markers were analyzed by qPCR, and the protein secretion of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlT-1) and the placenta growth factor (PlGF) was determined by ELISA. Thirteen of seventeen genes associated with angiogenesis, the renin–angiotensin system, oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and the inflammasome complex were susceptible to H/R and hypoxia, mimicking the expression pattern of PE tissue. In cell culture supernatants, the secretion of sFlT-1 was increased in hypoxia, while PlGF release was significantly reduced in H/R and hypoxia. In the supernatants of our cell models, the sFlT-1/PlGF ratio in hypoxia and H/R was higher than 38, which is a strong indicator for PE in clinical practice. These results suggest that our cellular models reflect important pathological processes occurring in PE and are therefore suitable as PE in vitro models.