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Chapter 2 - The Placenta as an Endocrine Organ/Placental Endocrinology

from Section I - Hormones in the Physiology and Pharmacology of Pregnancy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2022

By
Roger Smith
Edited by
Felice Petraglia ,
Mariarosaria Di Tommaso  and
Federico Mecacci
Felice Petraglia
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi, Florence
Mariarosaria Di Tommaso
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi, Florence
Federico Mecacci
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi, Florence
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Summary

The placenta forms from the trophectoderm of the blastocyst. The demethylation of the sperm and ovum DNA allows the de-repression of endogenous viral DNA elements and the transcription of the viral coat proteins syncytin 1 and 2. The syncytins cause the fusion of cytotrophoblast cells to form the key hormone producing layer of syncytiotrophoblast. Unlike other endocrine organs the syncytiotrophoblast secretes its steroid and peptide hormones continuously rather than in response to acute stimuli. As the placenta follows its maturational trajectory its production of hormones changes. Placental hormones act to facilitate implantation and to maintain pregnancy, to mobilize maternal nutrients to enable fetal growth, to promote the growth of the uterus, to stimulate breast development and lactogenesis, to orchestrate the onset of labor, and likely to alter maternal behavior before and after delivery to enhance the survival prospects of the fetus.

Type
Chapter
Information
Hormones and Pregnancy
Basic Science and Clinical Implications
 , pp. 13 - 19
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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