Abstract
IntroductionThe placental barrier (PB) is the thin biological membrane made of endothelial cells (EC), trophoblast cells (TC) and basal membrane that separates between maternal and fetal blood circulations within the placenta and facilitates feto-maternal transport characteristics, which are not completely understood. MethodsAn in vitro biological model of the PB model was co-cultured of human TC (HTR8) and human umbilical vein EC (HUVEC) on both sides of a denuded amniotic membrane (AM) using custom designed wells. ResultsConfocal and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging confirmed the morphology expressions of human EC and TC. Further support on the integrity of the new PB model was obtained from the existence of tight junctions and permeability experiments with fluorescence markers of small and large molecules. The monolayer of EC demonstrated the limiting layer for the transport resistance across this complex barrier. Discussion and conclusionThis new in vitro viable model mimics the architecture of the human PB and can be used in in vitro simulations of transplacental transport studies.
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