• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.33-37
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• 2013

Autophagy is a degradation process that acts in response to environmental stressors. Recently, autophagy has been detected in normal term, preeclamptic and intrauterine growth-restricted placentas. The object of this work was to investigate the presence of autophagy in first trimester voluntary interruption of pregnancy placental villi by the expression of autophagy-related proteins, light chain 3 (LC3), and Beclin-1. In first trimester placental villi laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) analysis revealed LC3 and Beclin-1 immunoreactivity prevalently located in villous cytotrophoblasts. Using LSCM, LC3, and Beclin-1 were localized to the cytoplasm of the trophoblast layer in human full-term placentas. Beclin-1 expression and LC3 activation were confirmed by western blotting. These data emphasize that autophagy activation is different among cytotrophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblasts depending on the gestational age and thus we speculate that autophagy might play a prosurvival role throughout human pregnancy.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.93-100
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• 2001

Precise mechanism by which the fetus can escape from mother's immune rejection is not well understood yet over the last 50 years. The clarification of immune mechanism at the feto-maternal interface is very important, because this can be a common pathogenesis of various pathologic conditions including spontaneous abortion, habitual abortion fetal growth restriction preeclampsia, implantation failure after assisted reproductive techniques, and fetal death. In this review, current hypothetical contents were described with the priority of importance: 1) The center of this mechanism is cross-talk between the expression of HLA-C, E, G on the extravillous cytotrophoblasts and their receptors on decidual NK cell, 2) immunomodulation, 3) innate immunity is the main immunologic mechanism, 4) various mechanisms besides HLA system(eq. complement) may be associated. The overall balance of immunomodulation among these mechanisms should result in the outcome of each pregnancy. Further researches regarding the regulation of HLA system, roles of cytokines, complements should be followed in the future.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.49.1-49.15
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• 2023

Background: Hystricomorpha rodents display a similar placentation model to humans. The present study was carried out considering the scarcity of information concerning the placental development in agouti. Objective: Describe the microscopy of the placenta, subplacenta and yolk sac of agoutis in early pregnancy and report on the inversion of the yolk sac. Methods: Fifteen females between the 14^th-32^nd day of gestation were used following euthanasia. Gestational buttons were collected, fixed, processed, stained to optical microscopy or immunohistochemistry. Results: Chorioallantoic placenta (CP) ranged from conical to a half-sphere, as follows: from the 14^th to 17^th day, the CP displays an inverted "V" shape, predominantly formed by cytotrophoblasts; from 20 to 22 days, formed almost entirely by cytotrophoblasts; at 28 days, a half sphere, with distinct lobes and interlobular area, numerous maternal gaps delimited by syncytiotrophoblasts and trophoblast giant cells; at 32 days, globose and undergoing the maturation process. Subplacenta, located between decidua and CP, initially presents septa consisting of simple columnar epithelium and after 17 days, comprising stratified epithelium. Visceral yolk sac (VYS) is attached to two CP projections between 14 and 17 days, formed by a simple cubic epithelium and inverted. Between 20 and 22 days, the epithelium displays apical villous projections with cytoplasmic vacuoles and a vascularized mesoderm. After the 24^th day, the VYS near the placenta is pleated, very vascularized and villous, with decreased villi sizes further away from the placenta. Conclusion: The agouti CP displays similar characteristics to other hystricomorpha, including placenta lobulation, a subplacenta and an inverted vitelline placenta.