Acute and chronic effects of some dietary bioactive compounds on folic acid uptake and on the expression of folic acid transporters by the human trophoblast cell line BeWo

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2008

Authors

Elisa Keating (Author) Other; Lemos, C (Author) Other; Gonçalves P (Author) FMUP; Martel, F (Author) FMUP

Journal

Title: Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry

Vol. 19

Pages: 91-100

ISSN: 0955-2863

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 31 Citations

Scopus - 36 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-004-1VF

DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2007.01.007

Abstract (EN): Folic acid (FA) is a vitamin that acts as a coenzyme in the biosynthesis of purine and pyrimidine precursors of nucleic acids, which are critically important during pregnancy. Our group has previously shown that both reduced folate carrier (RFC1) and folate receptor alpha (FR alpha) seem to be involved in the uptake of [H-3]folic acid ([H-3]FA) by a human trophoblast cell line (BeWo) and by human primary cultured cytotrophoblasts. Our aim was to study the interaction between FA and some nutrients/bioactive substances. For this, we tested the acute and chronic effects of some dietary compounds on [H-3]FA apical uptake and on the expression of both RFC1 and FR alpha mRNA in BeWo cells. Our results show that [H-3]FA uptake was significantly reduced by acute exposure to epicatechin, isoxanthohumol (1-400 mu M) or theophylline (0.1-100 mu M); isoxanthohumol seemed to act as a competitive inhibitor, whereas epicatechin and theophylline caused an increase in both Km and V-max. On the other hand, [H-3]FA uptake was significantly increased by chronic exposure to xanthohumol, quercetin or isoxanthohumol (0.1-10 mu M), and this increase does not seem to result from changes in the level of RFC1 or FR alpha gene expression. Moreover, [H-3]FA uptake was significantly reduced by chronic exposure to ethanol (0.01%). This reduction seems to be, at least in part, due to a reduction in FR alpha expression. These results are compatible with an association between a deficient FA supply to the placenta/fetus and ethanol toxicity in pregnancy.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 10