Immunohistochemical identification of prolactin in human placenta and membranes at term

Placentas and membranes of seven healthy women after full-term gestation and spontaneous labor and delivery were studied in order to verify the presence and distribution of prolactin-containing cells. An unlabeled antibody-PAP-method, applied to formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections, showed varying degrees of cytoplasmic positivity in the elements of the amniotic epithelium, decidua and trophoblast. A comparison between these results and those previously reported in the literature is made.