Effects of extracellular vesicles on placentation and pregnancy disorders

Changwon Yang, Gwonhwa Song, Whasun Lim

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

39 Scopus citations

Abstract

In humans, pregnancy maintenance depends on normal placental formation following trophoblast invasion into the endometrium and vascular remodeling. In the early stages of pregnancy, immune tolerance, inflammatory response and adaptation to hypoxia need to be precisely regulated in the placental microenvironment. Various types of cells, such as trophoblasts, endothelial cells, immune cells, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and adipocytes, induce normal placental development via intercellular interactions through soluble factors. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are used to diagnose various diseases because their constituents vary depending on the type of cell of origin and pathological characteristics. EV-derived microRNAs (miRNAs) and proteins in the placenta regulate inflammatory responses and the invasion of trophoblasts through intercellular delivery in the placental microenvironment. If the placenta does not adapt to the changed environment during early pregnancy, pregnancy disorders such as pre-eclampsia, preterm birth and gestational diabetes mellitus can occur. Thus, the important roles of EVs during pregnancy and development is fast emerging. This review describes the physiological role of EVs during placentation and their composition in the human placenta. It also suggests the possibility of finding EV markers that can diagnose pregnancy disorders. Furthermore, it describes the properties of EVs that affect pregnancy in livestock.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)R189-R196
JournalReproduction
Volume158
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 2019

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was supported by a grant of the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare (grant number: HI17C0929) and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) (Grant number: 2018R1C1B6009048).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Society for Reproduction and Fertility

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