The Human Fetal Membranes: A Versatile Tissue Important for Pregnancy Health and Regenerative Therapies

Dear Colleagues,

The human fetal membranes are an important but understudied gestational tissue. They are key for the health of the developing fetus, providing both mechanical and immune protection, along with a large surface area for fetal-to-maternal communication during pregnancy. Although physiologic labor-related signaling cascades induce ruptures at term, premature rupture of the membranes can contribute to Preterm birth onset. Preterm birth, along with other adverse pregnancy outcomes, remain the leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity globally. Premature rupture of membranes also contributes to the high rates of preterm birth by precipitating preterm labor or by increasing the vulnerability of the fetus to ascending infection.

This special edition focuses on both the fundamental molecular basis of its strength, development, and the pathological mechanism(s) leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes. It has solicited papers that discuss the molecular cascades that induce its weakening leading to rupture in both normal-term pregnancies and those that terminate prematurely in preterm birth. Due to the privileged properties of the cells of this tissue, it is also studied by researchers in various regenerative surgical and stem cell-driven therapies (i.e., ulcers, burn wounds, surgical scars). Thus, a wide range of papers focused on the key molecular mechanisms important to this tissue were welcomed with the aim to increase our understanding of the versatility of this tissue from several fields of biomedicine.

Dr. Claire E. Kendal-Wright
Dr. Lauren Richardson
Guest Editors

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• fetal membranes
• tissue strength
• inflammation
• parturition
• preterm premmature rupture of the membrane (PPROM)
• infection
• stem cells
• regenerative surgery