In vitro models of human blastocyst implantation

This paper reviews different in vitro models used for the study of blastocyst implantation in animals and the human. Furthermore, results from human blastocyst-endometrial interactions in vitro, investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), are presented. SEM demonstrates the preference of human blastocysts to adhere to pinopode-presenting areas on endometrial cell cultures. LM and TEM show that the first morphological sign of cell contact, defined as junction formation, is present at the apical-to-lateral border of endometrial epithelial cells, whereas trophoblast attachment to apical endometrial epithelial plasma membranes was not observed. More advanced stages illustrate that the human blastocyst penetrates the epithelial lining by the intrusive penetration mechanism.