Maternal Immune Response Influenced by Fetal Sex: Distinct Effects of Placental Extracellular Vesicles on the Phenotype, Metabolism, and Function of Circulating Monocytes

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Placental extracellular vesicles (pEVs) from male and female fetuses induce distinct changes in the phenotype and function of circulating monocytes.
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F-pEVs decrease CD11b and CD11c expression while increasing CD14, CD39, and IL-10 production in monocytes.
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M-pEVs enhance CD14 expression and IL-1β secretion, promoting a pro-inflammatory profile in monocytes.
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Metabolic analyses show M-pEVs increase lactate and reactive oxygen species, while F-pEVs enhance fatty acid uptake and mitochondrial activity.
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Both M- and F-pEVs promote efferocytosis in monocytes, but exhibit different sensitivities to metabolic inhibitors.

Frontiers In Immunology

by Julieta Avalos, Florencia Sabbione, Daiana Rios, Daniel H. Grasso, M. Noe Garcia, Franco Aguilera, Fatima Merech, Horacio Aiello, Cesar Meller, Rosanna Ramhorst, Vanesa Hauk, Soledad Gori, Claudia Pérez Leirós, Daiana M. Vota, Daniel E. Paparini
July 17, 2026

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