Feto-maternal interface on a chip for toxicity screening
2021
Texas A&M University, College Station, USA(1)
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, USA(2)
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, USA(2)
The presented study investigates the effect of maternal exposure to cadmium (Cd), an environmental toxin, using a four-chamber feto-maternal interface (FMi)-organ-on-a-chip. The chip incorporates maternal decidua cells and three different fetal cells of human origin. Cd transport through the FMi and its impact on the cell cycle, cell death, and inflammation were analyzed. Cd treatment resulted in significant cell death and a pro-inflammatory environment in the maternal decidua but had minimal effect on the fetal chorion cells, and no effect on the other fetal cells. The maternal response, but lack of fetal response, indicates that Cd-mediated adverse effects originate from maternal pathophysiology rather than fetal-derived triggers of preterm labour. This study demonstrates that the FMi- organ-on-a-chip can predict the response of FMi upon exposure to chemicals, opening the possibility for environmental toxin screens.
Molecular mechanisms of environmental toxin cadmium at the feto-maternal interface investigated using an organ-on-chip (FMi-OOC) model
Arum Han(1), Ramkumar Menon(2)
Added on: 05-31-2022
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389421017246?via%3Dihub
