Placental-Related Disorders of Pregnancy

Dear Colleagues,

The placenta is a unique, multifunctional organ that develops exclusively in pregnancy and results from complex interactions between the tissues of the fetus and the mother. It is responsible for exchanging nutrients, gases and wastes between the maternal and fetal circulations. The placenta is also an important endocrine organ that produces hormones indispensable for supporting pregnancy and regulating feto-maternal physiology. The main function of the placenta, however, is to maintain environmental homeostasis for fetal growth.

Placental-related disorders, which affect about a third of human pregnancies, are manifested by different symptoms signaling diseases and complications, such as preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, placental abruption and placenta accreta. All of them contribute to increased maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Placental dysfunction and programming may also have lifelong health consequences for both the mother and her offspring. Delayed reproductive plans, the incidence of cesarean sections and lifestyle changes, including improper diet, appear to have increased the incidence of placental-related disorders and diseases in recent decades.

We invite and encourage the scientific community to submit original articles and reviews on placentation and placental-related disorders that will provide some novel insight into any aspect of placental biochemistry. We do believe that with your input, this Special Issue will shed more light on the mechanisms involved in the development of placental pathologies and help find biomolecules for their prediction and early diagnosis.

Dr. Zaneta Kimber-Trojnar
Guest Editor

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