Chorionic villus sampling as a source of trophoblasts

Unlike trophoblasts obtained from pregnancy termination material, trophoblasts grown from explanted chorionic villus samples (CVS) from 11-14 weeks of gestation potentially enable investigation of pre-eclampsia and other pregnancy disorders as the pregnancy outcome will later be known. CVS surplus to diagnostic needs were cultured as explants on either Matrigel or gelatin and the outgrowing cells characterised. Cell morphology was examined and the cells were stained for cytokeratin-7 and HLA-G. Outgrowing trophoblasts co-stained strongly for HLA-G and cytokeratin-7. While outgrowths on Matrigel grew faster and were 100% positive for cytokeratin-7, they proved to be embedded in the matrix and difficult to passage. Outgrowths on gelatin could be released by trypsinisation and were subcultured and further characterised before and after freezing. These cells should prove a valuable resource for the examination of disorders of pregnancy.