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Morphological interactions of human first trimester placental villi co-cultured with decidual explants

1996; Oxford University Press; Volume: 11; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/humrep/11.2.444

1460-2350

M.O. Babawale, Susan Van Noorden, Massimo Pignatelli, G.W.H. Stamp, M.G. Elder, M.H.F. Sullivan,

Prenatal Screening and Diagnostics

Abnormalities of pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth retardation are characterized by shallow trophoblastic invasion of the placental bed, the precise molecular pathophysiology of which remains to be fully elucidated. An in-vitro model involving a co-culture of first trimester placental villi and decidua parietalis explants (of 8-12 weeks gestation) was developed and used to characterize the migration and local invasion of trophoblast cells. Trophoblast proliferation (confirmed by Ki-67 immunostaining), differentiation and loose attachment of placental villi to the underlying decidual epithelium or stroma occurred within the first 24 h of co-culture. This was followed by erosion of the syncytial layer of the placental villi and commencement of a progressive cytotrophoblast invasion after 48 h of co-culture, which continued until 120 h, when the experiments were terminated. E-cadherin was expressed at the interfaces between trophoblast cells within the villi, but expression of this adhesion molecule seemed to be down-regulated in the invasive trophoblast cells. Our results suggest that the model could be useful in investigating the factors that control early human placentation and the feto-maternal interface.