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Updated: May 25, 2026
Human Placental and Decidual Organ Cultures to Study Infections at the Maternal-fetal Interface
Published on: July 21, 2016
Rat placentation: an experimental model for investigating the hemochorial maternal-fetal interface
M J Soares1, D Chakraborty, M A Karim Rumi
1Institute for Reproductive Health and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA. msoares@kumc.edu
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The rat possesses hemochorial placentation with deep intrauterine trophoblast cell invasion and trophoblast-directed uterine spiral artery remodeling; features shared with human placentation. Recognition of these similarities spurred the establishment of in vitro and in vivo research methods using the rat as an animal model to address mechanistic questions regarding development of the hemochorial placenta. The purpose of this review is to provide the requisite background to help move the rat to the forefront in placentation research.
