Human Trophoblast

The placenta is an organ that connects the developing fetus to the uterine wall, thereby allowing nutrient uptake, waste elimination, and gas exchange via the mother's blood supply. Proper vascular development in the placenta is fundamental to ensuring a healthy fetus and successful pregnancy. This book provides an up-to-date summary and synthesis of knowledge regarding placental vascular biology and discusses the relevance of this vascular bed to the functions of the human placenta.

Human Placental Trophoblasts: Impact of Maternal Nutrition explores the vital roles of trophoblasts play in fetal growth and pregnancy, giving you new insight into the modulation of placental trophoblast functions by nutrients. It also reviews the role of fatty acids, folic acids, and specific vitamins in this aspect. The book highlights the critical role of nutrients on human placental development and its' in utero programming effects on the development of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and obesity in later life. The book begins with discussions of the central process of placentation and its regulation on size and growth of the fetus. It also covers the effects of key macronutrients on placental growth, metabolism, transport, and secretory function. The text details important vitamins and few micronutrients and their roles in the feto-placental growth and development. It includes information on the influence of maternal lifestyle and environmental factors on regulation of the growth, metabolism and gene expression in the feto-placental unit. A review of the genes linked to the process of placentation rounds out the coverage. An examination of a broad range of evidence in the areas of placental growth, function, and its impact on feto-placental outcome, the book presents new knowledge on nutrition and its relevance with early human development. This includes not only the effects of maternal nutrients on possible neonatal growth and development but also their regulation by maternal lifestyle associated factors. A fine blending of epidemiology, clinical nutrition, perinatal and neonatal medicine, and biochemistry and molecular biology areas of research activities, the book helps you to understand the impact of maternal nutrition on placentation and its relevance with pregnancy outcome and fetal programming of adult health and disease.

This volume explores the latest approaches used to assess trophoblast angiogenesis, transport function, cellular respirations, migration, and invasion. The chapters in this book cover topics such as various methods to study and manipulate primary trophoblast cells; strategies using liposomes to deliver biomolecules to trophoblasts; in vitro models of the placenta that emulate the cellular interactions in the 3D uterine environment; and models exploring heterogenous cell types and 3D-organoid structures that represent cell-to-cell interactions in vivo. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and thorough, Trophoblasts: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource that will help researchers better understand the function of the placenta and its complex contribution to maternal health and fetal development, and also provide greater insights to the area of study known as the developmental origins of health and diseases (DoHaD).

This book addresses neoplasms of the human trophoblast. The scant literature available on the epidemiology of trophoblast neoplasms suggests that they are as much as ten times more common in Africa, Asia, India, and much of the developing world than in Western countries. The stimulus for the book evolved out of a common interest to combine Western technology with the clinical experience in the developing world in a common pursuit of the study and eradication of trophoblast neoplasia. There is substantial evidence to contend that gene derepression as seen in trophoblastic disease may be a universal prerequisite to neoplastic transformation in general. The recent discovery that the tumor markers, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or its subunits, are identifiable in over 90 percent of all extracted neoplasms suggests a critical role for this common denominator of gene derepression in neoplasia. This gene derepression concept in reproductive biology and neoplasia spans many of the basic parameters of human cell replication as related to endocrinology, immunology, biochemistry, electrophysiol ogy, genetics, and pharmacology. The International Society for the Study of Trophoblastic Disease focuses on the global aspects of trophoblast neoplasms. These global aspects include epidemiology and etiology of the disease, regional variations in treatment of trophoblastic neoplasms, and potential ways to adapt and apply Western technology to effective use in developing countries. It was this perspective that formed the basis for the First World Congress on Trophoblast Neoplasms, which convened in Nairobi in October, 1982.

This book explains and reviews some of the significant events involved in human implantation and the establishment of the placenta in the uterus. This critical phase in human reproduction has proved to be an elusive and challenging area of research, not least because of the immunological and genetic interactions between the mother and fetus. The volume focuses on the most recent advances in our understanding of the basic mechanisms involved, with a particular emphasis on cell biology and immunology. This lucid volume will benefit all those studying and undertaking research in reproductive biology and immunology, perinatal pathology, fetal medicine and obstetrics.

A collection of cutting-edge laboratory techniques for the study of trophoblast and placental biology. The techniques presented range from experimental animal models, to animal and human placental organ and cell culture systems, to morphological, biochemical, and molecular strategies for assessing trophoblast/placental growth, differentiation and function. Volume 1 provides readily reproducible protocols for studying embryo-uterine implantation, trophoblast cell development, and the organization and molecular characterization of the placenta. Highlights include strategies for the isolation and culture of trophoblast cells from primates, ruminants, and rodents, and precise guidance to the molecular and cellular analysis of the placental phenotype. A companion second volume concentrates on methods for investigating placental function.