Placental toxicology progress!
Commonly used in vitro and in vivo placental models capture key placental functions and toxicity mechanisms, but have significant limitations.
The physiological relevance of placental models varies, with a general hierarchy of simple in vitro complex in vitro/ organ-on-chip in vivo, but species-of origin considerations may alter their relevance to human physiology.
Cellular, rodent, human, and computational modeling systems provide insights into placental transport, physiology, and toxicology linked to maternal–fetal health.
Recent advances in 3D culture and microfluidic technologies offer more physiologically relevant models for studying the placenta.
Mathematical modeling approaches can integrate mechanistic physiological data and exposure assessments to define key toxicokinetic parameters.
Environmental chemical concentrations and omic data obtained from placental tissues can link toxicant influences on placental function to adverse birth outcomes.
Placental cell lines remain underutilized in high-throughput screening for toxicity testing, and present opportunities for adaptation and innovation in experimental protocols. sciencenewshighlights ScienceMission https://sciencemission.com/placental-toxicology
Despite the crucial role of the placenta in supporting pregnancy and fetal development, research into its susceptibility to environmental exposures has been limited by methodological challenges. We review diverse approaches to studying placental biology and responses to chemical exposures, and provide a comprehensive assessment of traditional and emerging methodologies. Beginning with an overview of placental biology and species differences, we evaluate in vivo and in vitro models, and discuss their strengths and limitations. We examine advances, including placental transfer models, toxicokinetic frameworks, and 3D microphysiological systems, for their potential to address current gaps. Last, we consider molecular epidemiology and high-throughput analyses as complementary strategies.