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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Modeling Healthy and Dysbiotic Vaginal Microenvironments in a Human Vagina-on-a-Chip
Published on: February 16, 2024
[Microparticles and female issues]
1Klinik und Poliklinik für Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe, Klinikum der Universität München, Marchionistr. 15, 81377 München. bettina.toth@med.uni-muenchen.de
Abstract:
Emerging evidence suggests that circulating, cell-derived microparticles (MP) play a role in various physiological and pathophysiological processes. MP are involved in coagulation, inflammation and transportation. The role of circulating MP in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology has been investigated only recently. Healthy women show menstrual cycle-specific differences in circulating MP which differ significantly from age-matched men. With regard to obstetrics, MP were elevated in subgroups of patients with miscarriage or preeclampsia. Whether MP contribute to the pathogenesis of the diseases themselves is part of ongoing research. Moreover, recent studies indicate MP levels parallel tumor invasiveness in breast cancer patients and show similar sensitivity-specificity profiles than established biomarkers.
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