Gelatin hydrogel can be used in trophoblast spheroid motility assays, shows study

Trophoblast cells, which surround the developing blastocyst in early pregnancy, play an important role in implantation in the uterine wall. A new multidimensional model of trophoblast motility that utilizes a functionalized hydrogel is described in the peer-reviewed journal Tissue Engineering, Part A.

This valuable new tool, based on a methacrylamide-functionalized gelatin hydrogel, can be used for three-dimensional trophoblast spheroid motility assays. It can resolve quantifiable differences in outgrowth area and viability in the presence of a known invasion promoter and a known invasion inhibitor.

Implantation involves a highly coordinated molecular dialogue between endometrial cells and trophoblast cells. Developing a deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms surrounding implantation may provide critical insights into pregnancy and pregnancy disorders."

Brendan Harley and Coauthors, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

"Dr. Harley and his colleagues at Illinois have provided a fundamental work to the growing field of pregnancy models, with a particular focus on the role of trophoblast migration. Here, the research team nicely showed that key factors - EGF and TGF-beta1 - play a critical role in modulating trophoblast motility, and thus provide a pathway for better understanding these events during normal and complex pregnancies," says Tissue Engineering Co-Editor-in-Chief John P. Fisher, PhD, Fischell Family Distinguished Professor & Department Chair, and Director of the NIH Center for Engineering Complex Tissues at the University of Maryland.

Source:
Journal reference:

Zambuto, S.G., et al. (2020) Tuning Trophoblast Motility in a Gelatin Hydrogel via Soluble Cues from the Maternal–Fetal Interface. Tissue Engineering. doi.org/10.1089/ten.tea.2020.0097.

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Evo model set to transform synthetic biology and disease diagnosis