Some historical aspects of understanding placental development, structure and function

Abstract

Ideas concerning the placenta, its development, structure and function can be traced to antiquity. An issue of importance that was only resolved in the late-eighteenth to early-nineteenth century is that of the separate nature of the maternal and fetal placental circulations. Other vital issues include the placentas of twins, the structure of placental villi and their covering, the classification of placental types, the existence of the intervillous space, and the relation of maternal to fetal blood flows in the placenta. Contemporary challenges in placental biology include understanding the basic mechanisms of numerous aspects of metabolism, endocrinology, immunology, epigenetics, and the role of specific placental proteins in embryonic/fetal development.

Uteroplacental vascular development and placental function: an update

“…This revelation led to the use of the developing chick as the most important model organism for embryological research in vertebrates from that time forward, and established the importance of animal models in obstetric research. Thus, animal models have been central to the study of the placenta and the placental circulation since the earliest times, and much of our knowledge of placental vascular development continues to be derived from comparative studies in animals Reynolds et al, 2005b;Longo and Reynolds, 2010). Fortunately, the power of the comparative approach in solving complex biological problems is widely recognized and has been not only widely applied but highly successful.…”

Decidua and implantation of the embryo from a historical perspective

“…A more detailed description and depiction of this membrane can be found in the capital work of the 18th century British gynecologist William Hunter (1774). Longo and Reynolds (2010) have reproduced drawings from Hunter's book, which were transferred into copper-plate engravings by the Dutch artist Jan van Rymsdyk. It is also worth notice that Hunter distinguished the membrana decidua vera in the parietal layer from the capsular membrana decidua reflexa (De Witt, 1959).…”

“…The history and lore of human conception, intrauterine implantation and development of the embryo, placentation and the development of the fetal-placental unit are topics that have been extensively reviewed in many comprehensive articles including some of which were published even in this journal, The International Journal of Developmental Biology (Alexandre, 2001;Longo and Reynolds, 2010). Numerous monographs have been devoted to the same themes.…”

“…Numerous monographs have been devoted to the same themes. The most memorable illustrations from these monographs have been reproduced by Longo and Reynolds (2010). Historical vignettes and overviews may be found in the well-known textbooks and monographs (Benirschke and Driscoll, 1967;Boyd and Hamilton, 1970;Mossman, 1987;Kraus, Damjanov and Kaufman, 1991).…”

Placental therapy: An insight to their biological and therapeutic properties

“…It attaches to the uterine wall and the umbilical cord which connects between the mother and the fetus, thus supporting the growth and development of the fetus [1]. The word placenta derives from the Greek word "plakoenta" meaning "Flat Cake", with a flat, round or oval shape appearance, with the outermost and innermost membrane known as the chorion and the amnion respectively [2,3].…”