Models of Endocrine-Disrupting Effects: Human Placental Steroidogenesis

Area of Science:

• Reproductive biology
• Endocrinology
• Toxicology

Background:

• Endocrine disruption during pregnancy is linked to adverse fetal growth and later-life health issues.
• The human placenta's unique steroidogenesis pathway presents challenges for modeling endocrine disruption.
• Human models are preferred for accurate risk assessment of endocrine-disrupting compounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing human placental models for studying endocrine disruption.
• To evaluate the suitability of various models for assessing placental steroidogenesis.
• To identify research gaps and suggest future directions in the field.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on human placental models.
• Categorization of models including placental perfusion, explants, cell cultures, and placental-on-a-chip systems.
• Analysis of models based on their ability to replicate human placental steroidogenesis.

Main Results:

• Several human placental models exist, including placental perfusion, explants, and various cell cultures (BeWo, HTR-8/SVneo, Jar, JEG-3, ACH-3P).
• These models offer different advantages and limitations for studying placental steroidogenesis and hormone production.
• A significant lack of research specifically targeting placental steroidogenesis and endocrine-disrupting compounds was identified.

Conclusions:

• Existing human placental models have limitations in fully replicating placental steroidogenesis.
• Further research is needed to develop and validate models for assessing endocrine-disrupting compounds' effects on the placenta.
• Improved models are crucial for accurate human risk assessment and understanding pregnancy-related endocrine disruption.