Medical News Observer

Key Points:

• The in vitro model for human placental barrier uses trophoblast stem cells to replicate the placental villi’s complex structure and function.
• By optimizing the culture conditions, the team created organoids that closely resemble the placenta’s natural barrier to assess barrier integrity and compound transfer.
• This breakthrough could revolutionize placental research, facilitating safer drug development.

Researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) have made significant strides in understanding the biology of the human placental barrier, a critical structure during pregnancy that protects the developing fetus from external toxic substances while facilitating nutrient and waste exchange.

In their recent publication in Nature Communications, the team describes their development of a trophoblast stem (TS) cell-based organoid model that replicates the complex structure and function of placental villi, overcoming previous limitations faced by conventional models. 

In vitro model for human placental barrier

This innovative approach uses trophoblast stem cells, which can differentiate into all types of placental cells, to generate three-dimensional organoids. These three-dimensional organoids effectively mimic the barrier function of the placenta. Better than two-dimensional cell lines or primary placental cells, which are challenging to maintain in culture.

The organoid model created by researchers demonstrates a significant advancement in placental research. By optimizing the culture medium, they formed spherical organoids with an outer layer of syncytiotrophoblasts, which closely resemble the natural barrier of the placenta. Further development led to the creation of flatter organoids in a column-type container, facilitating the assessment of placental barrier integrity, maturation, and the passage of compounds through the placenta. 

Implications

This advancement opens new avenues for understanding placental development and the transplacental transfer of xenobiotics. It also contributes to safer drug development by allowing for the evaluation of compound transfer and toxicity in a controlled environment. This model could be an invaluable asset for research aimed at safeguarding fetal health during drug development.

References

Hori, Takeshi, Hiroaki Okae, Shun Shibata, Norio Kobayashi, Eri H. Kobayashi, Akira Oike, Asato Sekiya, Takahiro Arima, and Hirokazu Kaji. 2024. “Trophoblast Stem Cell-Based Organoid Models of the Human Placental Barrier.” Nature Communications 15 (1): 962. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45279-y.