Oral Presentations - Pathology and Laboratory Medicine - University ...

Post-doctoral FellowAbstract # 37Eszter Papp, Deborah Money, Laura Oliveira, Tuhina Imam, Beheroze Sattha,Izabella Gadawski, Evelyn Maan, Jack Forbes, Hélène CôtéUBC, Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineEszter Pappexpression of a multidrug-resistance protein(p-glycoprotein) gene (MDR-1) in the placenta of HIVinfected and HAART-exposed womenBackround/ObjectivesIn HIV-positive pregnancies, developing fetuses are routinely exposed to highly active anti-retroviral therapy(HAART), components of which are known to cause mitochondrial damage. Through oxidative stress, mitochondrialdysfunction has been linked with telomere shortening, a biomarker of aging, The placental expression of themultidrug-resistance gene MDR-1, which can be triggered by drugs and oxidative stress, can reduce fetal drugexposure. The relationship between MDR-1 expression, mitochondrial toxicity and telomere shortening in placentaefrom HIV-infected HAART-exposed (study) and HIV-uninfected (control) women were investigated.MethodsPlacenta (fetal and maternal side) and infant blood from study (N=31) and control (N=23) women were collectedand frozen immediately. Placental mitochondrial (mt) DNA, mt-mRNA, and MDR-1-mRNA levels as well as averagetelomere length (ATL) from blood and placenta were quantified by qPCR. The influence of HAART, prescription andillicit drugs on MDR-1 expression was explored. Pearson correlation and Mann-Whitney test were used for statisticalanalyses.ResultsIn the placenta, MDR-1-mRNA levels were not significantly different between study and controls, but the fetal andmaternal side were highly correlated, in the study group only (R2=0.585,p