Ahmadi Sadia M, Perez Maira L, Guardia Carlos M
Placental Cell Biology Group, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, United States.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2025 Jun 12;16:1584303. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1584303. eCollection 2025.
The placenta is a dynamic endocrine organ that plays a crucial role in fetal development by secreting a diverse array of peptide hormones that regulate maternal and fetal physiology. These hormones, including human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), human placental lactogen (hPL), and placental growth hormone (hPGH), among others, are essential for pregnancy maintenance, fetal growth, and metabolic adaptation. Dysregulation of the secretory machinery and the levels of these hormones in circulation is associated with a myriad of pregnancy-related disorders. Despite their significance, the mechanisms governing their intracellular trafficking and secretion remain incompletely understood. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the secretion pathways of placental hormones, highlighting the interplay between constitutive and regulated secretion, and the challenges in defining these mechanisms due to the unique structure of the syncytiotrophoblast. We also discuss how emerging technologies, such as 2D and 3D placental models and advanced protein trafficking assays, can provide deeper insights into the regulation of placental hormone secretion. Understanding these processes will not only enhance our knowledge of placental biology but also provide new avenues for diagnosing and treating pregnancy-related disorders.
胎盘是一个动态的内分泌器官，通过分泌多种调节母体和胎儿生理的肽类激素，在胎儿发育中发挥关键作用。这些激素，包括人绒毛膜促性腺激素（hCG）、人胎盘催乳素（hPL）和胎盘生长激素（hPGH）等，对于维持妊娠、胎儿生长和代谢适应至关重要。分泌机制失调以及这些激素在循环中的水平与众多妊娠相关疾病有关。尽管它们很重要，但控制其细胞内运输和分泌的机制仍未完全了解。本综述综合了关于胎盘激素分泌途径的当前知识，强调了组成型分泌和调节型分泌之间的相互作用，以及由于合体滋养层的独特结构在定义这些机制方面所面临的挑战。我们还讨论了新兴技术，如二维和三维胎盘模型以及先进的蛋白质运输检测方法，如何能够更深入地了解胎盘激素分泌的调节。了解这些过程不仅将增强我们对胎盘生物学的认识，还将为诊断和治疗妊娠相关疾病提供新途径。
