{"title":"Feto-placental vascular structure and in silico haemodynamics: Of mice, rats, and human","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.placenta.2024.10.020","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>The complex arborization of the feto-placental vasculature is crucial for optimal fetal nutrition, waste exchange and ultimately, development. Ethical and experimental limitations constrain research into the human placenta, hence experimental animal models such as mice and rats, are crucial to understand placental function. It is unclear how well the mouse and rat feto-placental vascular structure emulates human. Moreover, the implications of differences in vascular structure, especially in arborization, for placental function remain unclear.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We use micro-computed tomography imaging, high frequency Doppler ultrasound and computational fluid dynamics to characterize feto-placental vasculature structure and haemodynamics in mice, rats, and human.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Our data suggest that despite structural differences between rat and mouse placenta, haemodynamics are similar and that both hold applicability to investigating feto-placental structure and function. We show that human cotyledons demonstrate vascularity-dependent haemodynamic behaviour (including flow deceleration and oxygen exchange) similar to rodents and can be analysed in the same spectrum as rodents. Finally, we show strong structure-function relationships when interspecies datasets are combined; notably, we demonstrate that surrogate measures such as vascularity, can be used to estimate placental oxygen exchange function.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>Pre-clinical placental research utilising rat and mouse placentae to understand the impact of feto-placental arborization on placental function and fetal development can inform the human context.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20203,"journal":{"name":"Placenta","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Placenta","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0143400424006921","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction
The complex arborization of the feto-placental vasculature is crucial for optimal fetal nutrition, waste exchange and ultimately, development. Ethical and experimental limitations constrain research into the human placenta, hence experimental animal models such as mice and rats, are crucial to understand placental function. It is unclear how well the mouse and rat feto-placental vascular structure emulates human. Moreover, the implications of differences in vascular structure, especially in arborization, for placental function remain unclear.
Methods
We use micro-computed tomography imaging, high frequency Doppler ultrasound and computational fluid dynamics to characterize feto-placental vasculature structure and haemodynamics in mice, rats, and human.
Results
Our data suggest that despite structural differences between rat and mouse placenta, haemodynamics are similar and that both hold applicability to investigating feto-placental structure and function. We show that human cotyledons demonstrate vascularity-dependent haemodynamic behaviour (including flow deceleration and oxygen exchange) similar to rodents and can be analysed in the same spectrum as rodents. Finally, we show strong structure-function relationships when interspecies datasets are combined; notably, we demonstrate that surrogate measures such as vascularity, can be used to estimate placental oxygen exchange function.
Discussion
Pre-clinical placental research utilising rat and mouse placentae to understand the impact of feto-placental arborization on placental function and fetal development can inform the human context.
期刊介绍:
Placenta publishes high-quality original articles and invited topical reviews on all aspects of human and animal placentation, and the interactions between the mother, the placenta and fetal development. Topics covered include evolution, development, genetics and epigenetics, stem cells, metabolism, transport, immunology, pathology, pharmacology, cell and molecular biology, and developmental programming. The Editors welcome studies on implantation and the endometrium, comparative placentation, the uterine and umbilical circulations, the relationship between fetal and placental development, clinical aspects of altered placental development or function, the placental membranes, the influence of paternal factors on placental development or function, and the assessment of biomarkers of placental disorders.