Development of an in vitro human placenta model by the cultivation of human trophoblasts in a fiber-based bioreactor system

The in vitro human trophoblast culture system is of significant importance in the study of human placenta development and its role as the transport organ between maternal and fetal circulations in normal physiology and pathology pregnancy. But conventional in vitro model systems fail to reproduce many important features of human placenta in vivo. In our study, a perfusion bioreactor system was developed with a chemically modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibrous matrix as the cell culture scaffold. The dual compartment design of the bioreactor simulates maternal and fetal circulation systems in vivo. First trimester human trophoblast cells readily attached on a chemically modified PET fiber surface. The detection of human fibronectin showed that cells were able to form three-dimensional structures by aggregation and bridging between fibers. Moreover, metabolic and hormone secretion data showed that cells in this perfusion culture system maintained their normal functional activities. The results of this study demonstrate the feasibility of tissue engineering human trophoblast cells in a perfusion bioreactor system for the development of an in vitro drug testing model system.