Tissue stiffness at the human maternal–fetal interface

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Yassen Abbas (Creator)

Jan J. Brosens (Creator)

Graham J. Burton (Creator)

Alejandro Carnicer-Lombarte (Creator)

Kristian Franze (Creator)

Lucy Gardner (Creator)

Ashley Moffett (Creator)

Michelle L. Oyen (Creator)

Andrew M. Sharkey (Creator)

Jake Thomas (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: STUDY QUESTION:\r\nWhat is the stiffness (elastic modulus) of human nonpregnant secretory phase endometrium, first trimester decidua, and placenta?\r\n\r\nSUMMARY ANSWER:\r\nThe stiffness of decidua basalis, the site of placental invasion, was an order of magnitude higher at 103 Pa compared to 102 Pa for decidua parietalis, nonpregnant endometrium and placenta.\r\n\r\nWHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY:\r\nMechanical forces have profound effects on cell behavior, regulating both cell differentiation and migration. Despite their importance, very little is known about their effects on blastocyst implantation and trophoblast migration during placental development because of the lack of mechanical characterization at the human maternal–fetal interface.\r\n\r\nSTUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION:\r\nAn observational study was conducted to measure the stiffness of ex vivo samples of human nonpregnant secretory endometrium (N =?5) and first trimester decidua basalis (N =?6), decidua parietalis (N =?5), and placenta (N =?5). The stiffness of the artificial extracellular matrix (ECM), Matrigel®, commonly used to study migration of extravillous trophoblast (EVT) in three dimensions and to culture endometrial and placental organoids, was also determined (N =?5).\r\n\r\nPARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS:\r\nAtomic force microscopy was used to perform ex vivo direct measurements to determine the stiffness of fresh tissue samples. Decidua was stained by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for HLA-G+ EVT to confirm whether samples were decidua basalis or decidua parietalis. Endometrium was stained with hematoxylin and eosin to confirm the presence of luminal epithelium. Single-cell RNA sequencing data were analyzed to determine expression of ECM transcripts by decidual and placental cells. Fibrillin 1, a protein identified by these data, was stained by IHC in decidua basalis.\r\n\r\nMAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE:\r\nWe observed that decidua basalis was significantly stiffer than decidua parietalis, at 1250 and 171 Pa, respectively (P

Additional Information

Publication

Other

Language: English

Date: 2023

Subjects

mechanics / trophoblast invasion / blastocyst implantation / tissue stiffness / human

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