简介：AbstractServing as the interface between the fetal and maternal environments during gestation, the placenta plays critical roles in the protection of the developing fetus and the maintenance of maternal health. The placenta is primarily derived from the embryonic trophectoderm which differentiates into various subtypes of trophoblast cells through villous and extravillous pathways. The interactions among trophoblasts and multiple decidual cells and immune cells at the maternal-fetal interface fundamentally form the functional units of the placenta, which are responsible for blood perfusion and maternal-fetal material exchange, immune tolerance, and the regulation of pregnancy adaptation. Defects in placental development and functional maintenance are in tight association with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preeclampsia. In this article, we review recent advances on human trophoblast cell differentiation and the construction of placental functional units and discuss the placental and maternal factors that may contribute to the occurrence of preeclampsia.

简介：AbstractObjective:This study aimed at investigating the expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) related signal pathways in liver tissues of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy animal models.Methods:Estrogen (EE)-induced cholestasis and a placental ischemia-reperfusion (IR) model were established in pregnant rats. All pregnant rats were divided into four groups by random number table: EE-IR group (n= 6), EE-sham group (n = 6), control-IR group (n= 6) and control-sham group (n= 6). Liver expression of mTOR, its upstream regulator DNA damage response-1 (REDD1), and downstream factor glucose transporter type-1 (GLUT1), accompanied by NF-κB (p65 is the most important component), its activator toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and inhibitor IκBα, were detected by western blot analysis and real-time polymerase chain reaction. The intergroup comparisons were performed with a one-way analysis of variance, the comparisons among groups were analyzed with the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test.Results:Giving pregnant rats EE alone reduced the hepatic expression of IκBα (0.72 ± 0.20 vs. 1.01 ± 0.07, P= 0.008). Meanwhile, giving pregnant rats placental IR alone increased liver levels of REDD1 (3.24 ± 0.98 vs. 1.06 ± 0.24, P= 0.025), GLUT1 (2.37 ± 0.82 vs. 1.09 ± 0.10, P= 0.039), TLR4 (2.12 ± 0.29 vs. 1.20 ± 0.28, P= 0.010), and p65 (2.09 ± 0.85 vs. 1.04 ± 0.06, P= 0.023), and decreased hepatic mTOR (0.50 ± 0.07 vs. 1.01 ± 0.03, P= 0.001) and IκBα (0.61 ± 0.08 vs. 1.01 ± 0.07, P= 0.014) expression. Subjecting EE-treated rats to placental IR did not further alter liver levels of GLUT1 (2.02 ± 0.45 vs. 1.79 ± 0.39, P= 0.240), TLR4 (2.10 ± 0.74 vs. 1.60 ± 0.36, P= 0.129), or p65 (2.41 ± 0.83 vs. 1.65 ± 0.46, P= 0.145), whereas it did decrease hepatic mTOR (0.42 ± 0.09 vs. 0.90 ± 0.14, P= 0.008) and IκBα (0.43 ± 0.09 vs. 0.72 ± 0.20, P= 0.004) expression and enhance REDD1 expression (4.46 ± 0.65 vs. 2.05 ± 0.47, P= 0.009). Placental IR stress did impact the hepatic expression of REDD1-mTOR-GLUT1 and TLR4/NF-κB/IκBα in pregnant rats.Conclusion:Placental IR-induced hepatic GLUT1, TLR4, and p65 alternation, which responded efficiently in control rats, were impaired in EE-induced ICP rats.