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Updated: Apr 30, 2026

Human Placental and Decidual Organ Cultures to Study Infections at the Maternal-fetal Interface
Published on: July 21, 2016
Microbes, molecules, and the maternal-fetal interface: rethinking the gut-placenta axis
Gabriela Barrientos1, Fabian B Fahlbusch2, Melanie L Conrad2
1Laboratorio de Medicina Experimental, Hospital Alemán, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
None:
Placental biology is increasingly framed through a signaling paradigm in which maternal microbiome-derived mediators-rather than microbial colonization-affect the function of the interface. This review synthesizes evidence that circulating microbial signals, including short-chain fatty acids, tryptophan-derived indoles, bile-acid-linked ligands, microbe-associated molecular patterns, and bacterial extracellular vesicles, are associated with placental vascular development, immune regulation, nutrient transport, and endocrine programs-processes central to pregnancy outcomes. We integrate mechanistic insights from gnotobiotic and supplementation models with limitations of human evidence and identify key translational gaps. The current evidence supports a model in which maternal microbial ecology shapes a network of circulating mediators that converge on interlinked placental pathways essential for placental function and fetal development.
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