Scientists raised the placenta on the outside of the woman's body

Researchers were able to grow a placental-like three-dimensional organoid from human placenta cells. The latter, like a real placenta, consists of several layers of cells and even produces hormones. According to the authors of the publication Nature"The placenta in vitro" will help to study in detail in laboratory the signaling interaction between the body of the woman and the embryo, as well as the study of fetal developmental disorders and pathologies badociated with pregnancy, writes N + 1.

Many abnormalities in the development of the fetus, as well as diseases of the type of preeclampsia (toxicosis accompanied by an abnormal increase in pressure) in pregnant women develop as a result of a disruption of the functioning of the placenta . This organ is formed following the penetration of the embryonic membranes of the embryo (trophoblast) into the wall of the uterus and ensures nutrition, respiration of the fetus and its protection against the immunity of the mother. In addition, the placenta produces hormones necessary both to maintain the physiological state of pregnancy and to prepare the baby's food to be born. The study of pathologies badociated with the placenta has so far been difficult because of the lack of adequate models.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge, led by Ashley Moffett, have developed a genetically stable three-dimensional (trophoblast) organoid on a gel matrix that mimics placental function in the first trimester of pregnancy. Scientists have shown that such a mini-organ is able to exist in the laboratory for a long time (up to one year) and can be "propagated" by transferring cells to a new matrix.

As a source of material for cultivating "the placenta in a test tube", researchers used donor material – the placenta cells of several women, who settled in a special matrix. In addition, scientists had to choose from various types of growth media while being able to select the right combination of hormones and growth factors ensuring cell division and differentiation on the matrix.

An badysis of the resulting organoid showed that it formed a true villous trophoblast on the matrix, with two main cell populations – extravillous layer cells that interacted with the endometrium of the liver. uterus and maternal arteries and syncytiotrophoblast cells responsible for the metabolism and production of hormones. The mini-organ was also capable of producing hormones – in particular, it synthesized chorionic gonadotropin, the detection of which in the urine underpinned the work of rapid pregnancy tests. To confirm the production of the hormone, the authors of the work even badyzed the growth medium of the mini-placenta using such a test – the test showed a positive result.

A little earlier, scientists have discovered that at the molecular level, the brood pocket of male seahorses, which carry fry in place of females, looks like the placenta in operation.