TY  - JOUR
TI  - Isolation of Primary Cytotrophoblasts From Human Placenta at Term
AU  - Colson, Arthur 
AU  - Depoix, Christophe Louis
AU  - Hubinont, Corinne 
AU  - Debiève, Frédéric 
VL  - 11
IS  - 19
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/10/05
SP  - e4185
C1  - Bio-protocol 2021;11:e4185
DO  - 10.21769/BioProtoc.4185
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21769/BioProtoc.4185
AB  - The placenta is a multifaceted organ, fulfilling critical functions for the fetus and the mother. Therefore, it is a critical regulator of the pregnancy, and its dysfunction leads to diseases, including fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia. Studying the placenta is a difficult task since its existence is transient, and its structure is specific to our species. In vitro differentiation of primary cytotrophoblast isolated from term human placenta has been widely used in the placental research field as it represents a reliable model to study cellular differentiation and function. Direct alternatives include trophoblastic cell lines, explants, and organoids, but this protocol, based on the separation of the cells on a Percoll gradient, presents the advantage of being relatively cheap and easy to perform in every research laboratory. Furthermore, the 2D culture is a flexible method that can be adapted to various experimental conditions (transfection, drug exposure, metabolic study, observations, etc.), allowing mechanistic explorations of cellular processes.
KW  - Trophoblast
KW  - Syncytialization
KW  - Placenta
KW  - Pregnancy
KW  - Preeclampsia
KW  - Fetal growth restriction
JF  - Bio-protocol
SN  - 2331-8325
PB  - Bio-protocol LLC.
BIO101  - False