Perinatal Derivatives: Where Do We Stand? A Roadmap of the Human Placenta and Consensus for Tissue and Cell Nomenclature

Abstract

Progress in the understanding of the biology of perinatal tissues has contributed to the breakthrough revelation of the therapeutic effects of perinatal derivatives (PnD), namely birth-associated tissues, cells, and secreted factors. The significant knowledge acquired in the past two decades, along with the increasing interest in perinatal derivatives, fuels an urgent need for the precise identification of PnD and the establishment of updated consensus criteria policies for their characterization. The aim of this review is not to go into detail on preclinical or clinical trials, but rather we address specific issues that are relevant for the definition/characterization of perinatal cells, starting from an understanding of the development of the human placenta, its structure, and the different cell populations that can be isolated from the different perinatal tissues. We describe where the cells are located within the placenta and their cell morphology and phenotype. We also propose nomenclature for the cell populations and derivatives discussed herein. This review is a joint effort from the COST SPRINT Action (CA17116), which broadly aims at approaching consensus for different aspects of PnD research, such as providing inputs for future standards for the processing and in vitro characterization and clinical application of PnD.

Comprehensive Profiling of Secretome Formulations from Fetal- and Perinatal Human Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells

“…In such a scenario, fetal- and perinatal MSC may offer an interesting option given their proliferative potential, and developmentally immature profile with intermediate features between embryonic and adult somatic progenitors [ 10 , 11 ]. Fetal MSC can be isolated from extra-embryonic annexes during gestation as left-over sampling obtained during prenatal screening (i.e., chorionic villi [ 12 , 13 , 14 ] and amniotic fluid [ 15 , 16 ]) or obtained as perinatal progenitors at birth, from clinical waste material (i.e., amniotic and placenta membranes [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ], umbilical cord components [ 22 , 23 , 24 ] and term amniotic fluid [ 25 , 26 ]).…”

Allogenic Use of Human Placenta-Derived Stromal Cells as a Highly Active Subtype of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells for Cell-Based Therapies

“…Nevertheless, the placenta presents as a complex tissue generated as a whole from two individuals. Cells isolated from placentae therefore come as complex blends containing probably a higher variety of cell types when compared, e.g., to blends of BM or adipose tissue-derived stromal cells [ 187 ].…”

“…Early studies expected the hPSCs to serve as building blocks of damaged tissues [ 182 , 187 , 188 , 189 , 190 , 191 , 192 , 193 ], but they seem to have limited differentiation potential [ 120 , 126 , 137 , 148 , 181 , 184 , 194 , 195 , 196 ]. The activity of hPSCs in allogeneic and xenogeneic administration seems to derive from their rich secretome, activated in response to a wide range of stress signals [ 114 , 130 , 180 , 197 , 198 , 199 , 200 , 201 , 202 , 203 ].…”

The Role of B Cells in PE Pathophysiology: A Potential Target for Perinatal Cell-Based Therapy?

“…Cells isolated from perinatal tissues have drawn particular attention in recent years due to their ability to modulate several aspects of immunity, making them promising candidates for the prevention and treatment of various immune-mediated diseases [ 3 ]. As a matter of fact, numerous in vitro studies have widely demonstrated that cells from different perinatal tissues are able to interfere with the activation and the differentiation of cells belonging to both the innate and adaptive immune system, including macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, and T lymphocytes [ 87 ].…”

“…Perinatal cells are defined as cells from birth-associated tissues isolated from term placentas and fetal annexes and more specifically from the amniotic membrane, chorionic membrane, chorionic villi, umbilical cord (including Wharton’s jelly), the basal plate, and the amniotic fluid [ 3 ]. They constitute a promising tool as a therapeutic approach in PE, especially in the light of the recent identification of B cells as target of the immune modulatory action of perinatal cells.…”