Laminin distribution in human decidua and immature placenta. An immunoelectron microscopic study (avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method).

An immunoelectron microscopic study was carried out on human placenta and decidua with the use of preembedding, the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex technique, and rabbit anti-murine laminin antibody. Laminin was detected in the lamina lucida of basement membrane of placental villi, amniotic membranes, umbilical cord, endometrial glands, and blood vessels. No positive laminin immunostaining was observed in intracytoplasmic organelles. However, positive immunostaining surrounded decidual cells as a more or less continuous linear membrane. It is suggested that laminin, as a component of this basement membrane-like material that has already been reported in decidual cells, may be related to the hormonal stimulation occurring during pregnancy and trophoblastic attachment.