Generation of precision-cut slice cultures of human placenta

Amal Fahmi; Melanie Brügger; Beatrice Zumkehr; Blandina I Oliveira Esteves; David Baud; Marco P Alves

doi:10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101291

Generation of precision-cut slice cultures of human placenta

STAR Protoc. 2022 Apr 12;3(2):101291. doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101291. eCollection 2022 Jun 17.

Authors

Amal Fahmi^{1

2

3}, Melanie Brügger^{1

2}, Beatrice Zumkehr^{1

2}, Blandina I Oliveira Esteves^{1

2}, David Baud⁴, Marco P Alves^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Virology and Immunology, Bern, Switzerland.
² Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
³ Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
⁴ Materno-Fetal and Obstetrics Research Unit, Department "Femme-Mère-Enfant", Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Abstract

We present a protocol to generate an advanced ex vivo model of human placenta. We use a vibrating tissue slicer to obtain precision-cut slices representative of the entire thickness of human placenta. This approach delivers standardized cultures with a preserved microstructure and cellular composition comparable to the native tissue. We applied this system to study SARS-CoV-2 infection at the maternal-fetal interface. Moreover, this system can be used to investigate the basic functions of the human placenta in health and disease. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Fahmi et al. (2021).

Keywords: Cell Biology; Cell culture; Developmental biology; Health Sciences.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Female
Humans
Placenta
Pregnancy
SARS-CoV-2*