Longo Lawrence D, Reynolds Lawrence P
Center for Perinatal Biology, Department of Physiology, Loma Linda University, School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California, USA.
Int J Dev Biol. 2010;54(2-3):237-55. doi: 10.1387/ijdb.082774ll.
Ideas concerning the placenta, its development, structure and function can be traced to antiquity. An issue of importance that was only resolved in the late-eighteenth to early-nineteenth century is that of the separate nature of the maternal and fetal placental circulations. Other vital issues include the placentas of twins, the structure of placental villi and their covering, the classification of placental types, the existence of the intervillous space, and the relation of maternal to fetal blood flows in the placenta. Contemporary challenges in placental biology include understanding the basic mechanisms of numerous aspects of metabolism, endocrinology, immunology, epigenetics, and the role of specific placental proteins in embryonic/fetal development.
关于胎盘及其发育、结构和功能的观念可以追溯到古代。一个直到18世纪末至19世纪初才得以解决的重要问题是母胎胎盘循环的分离性质问题。其他重要问题包括双胞胎的胎盘、胎盘绒毛的结构及其覆盖物、胎盘类型的分类、绒毛间隙的存在以及胎盘母体与胎儿血流的关系。胎盘生物学当前面临的挑战包括了解新陈代谢、内分泌学、免疫学、表观遗传学诸多方面的基本机制，以及特定胎盘蛋白在胚胎/胎儿发育中的作用。
