... in various aspects of normal pregnancy, from placenta establishment to maternal immune tolerance towards the fetus and protection against viral infections. In the second part, we present selected examples of pathological pregnancies in which placental EVs are involved, such as gestational diabetes mellitus...

... culture/xenografts, DEHP/DBP do not reduce testosterone production, whereas therapeutic paracetamol exposure does. In humans, androgen production in the MPW is controlled differently (human chorionic gonadotrophin-driven) than in rats (paracrine controlled), and other organs (placenta, liver, adrenals...

...Sampada Kallol; Christiane Albrecht Cholesterol is a major nutrient required for fetal growth. It is also a precursor for the synthesis of steroid hormones and essential for the development and maturation of fetal organs. During pregnancy, the placenta controls the transport of cholesterol from...

...Rosalind M. John A defining feature of mammals is the development in utero of the fetus supported by the constant flow of nutrients from the mother obtained via a specialized organ: the placenta. The placenta is also a major endocrine organ that synthesizes vast quantities of hormones and cytokines...

... activity is decreased in IUGR. The present review summarizes the emerging evidence implicating placental mTOR signalling as a key mechanism linking maternal nutrient and growth factor concentrations to amino acid transport in the human placenta. Since fetal growth is critically dependent on placental...

...N. Hoggard; P. Haggarty; L. Thomas; R. G. Lea Leptin is expressed in the placenta and in certain fetal tissues; however, little is known with regard to the function of this hormone in these tissues. To date, most evidence suggests that placental and/or fetal leptin acts as a fetal growth factor...

...K. Linnemann; A. Malek; H. Schneider; C. Fusch There is clear evidence of placental leptin production, as shown recently in trophoblast cultures and by dual in vitro placenta perfusion (median production of 225 pg/min per g of tissue; 98.4% released into the maternal and 1.6% into the fetal...

.... For example, humans and rodents lacking leptin fail to undergo complete puberty, while overexpression of leptin in mice causes early puberty. The placenta also produces leptin in human pregnancy, increasing the amount in the maternal circulation. The effects of the increased leptin levels during pregnancy...

...J. D. Aplin; H. Lacey; T. Haigh; C. J. P. Jones; C.-P. Chen; M. Westwood At the periphery of the human placenta, trophoblast attaches to the uterine wall. The tissue interface contains many anchoring sites, with cytotrophoblast columns that form bridges between the overlying extraembryonic (villous...

... in implantation, when their relative numbers are greater. Extensive numbers of class II MHC-positive tissue macrophages in both the endometrium and placenta will provide an immediate antigen non-specific host defence to infection at this important site. Nevertheless, most attention has focused on a role...