In VitroSystems for the Study of Human Placental Endocrine Function*

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Abstract
AMONG endocrine organs, the placenta is unique with respect to the diversity of its hormonal products and the mechanisms that control its secretory activity. The placenta elaborates protein, glycoprotein, and steroidal hormones, as well as cytokines and growth factors. It possesses receptors for a variety of these factors, as well as for thyronines, steroids, and protein hormones. At present count, the human placenta produces more than 30 hormones and has receptors for almost as many regulatory factors (1–3). Consequently, it has frequently been the starting material from which hormones and receptors have been purified. Although the placenta functions in concert with the maternal organism and the fetus in the production of some hormones (e.g., estrogens), the study of isolated placental tissue has been important in the elucidation of placental function as well as the biology of secretory cells in general. Our purpose is to review the existing in vitro systems for study of endocrine functions of human placental tissue. For additional information, the reader may wish to consult a recent monograph dealing with placental perfusion (4) and earlier reviews by Stromberg et al. (5) and Loke and Whyte (6) for insight into the history of the development of various trophoblast tissue culture methods, and two recent volumes, one focusing on cellular approaches to the study of the placenta (7), the other on placental protein hormones (8).

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