Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (581 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A highly vascularized mammalian fetal-maternal organ and major site of transport of oxygen, nutrients, and fetal waste products. It includes a fetal portion (chorionic villi) derived from trophoblasts and a maternal portion (decidua) derived from the uterine endometrium. The placenta produces an array of steroid, protein and peptide hormones (placental hormones).
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Placentas; Placentome; Placentomes; Placentoma, Normal.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Embryonic Structures
- Narrower topics
- Chorionic Villi; Decidua; Trophoblasts
- See also
- Maternal-Fetal Exchange; Placental Circulation
Related concepts
- Chorionic Villi
- Trophoblasts
- Decidua
- Endometrium
- Placental Hormones
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 82,832 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Placenta” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 16,472 of them (19.9%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 37,677 records.
Reviews account for 8,394 records (10.1%) and meta-analyses for 197. Randomized controlled trials number 422 (0.5%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 37,677 |
| 2000-2009 | 12,219 |
| 2010-2019 | 16,464 |
| 2020 onward | 16,472 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 8,394 | 10.1% |
| Meta-analyses | 197 | 0.2% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 422 | 0.5% |
Method: PubMed query "Placenta"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-cell spatiotemporal dissection of the human maternal-fetal interface | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 8 | cc by PMID 41951740 · DOI · PMC13149032 |
| Epigenetics and chromatin structure regulate var2csa expression and the placental-binding phenotype in Plasmodium falciparum | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 4 | cc by PMID 41984626 · DOI · PMC13082790 |
| Defective Trophoblast Differentiation, Endothelial Dysfunction, and Immune Dysregulation in Preeclampsia Coalesce on a Placental VGLL3-Centered Gene Network | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 41953989 · DOI · PMC13120743 |
Single-cell spatiotemporal dissection of the human maternal-fetal interface [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The human maternal-fetal interface is characterized by mosaic intermingling of maternal and fetal cells1.
- Closing excerpt
- This resource provides a comprehensive spatially resolved single-cell multiomic reference of the human placenta and decidua and offers a framework for decoding their normal and disordered development.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (207 words)
The human maternal-fetal interface is characterized by mosaic intermingling of maternal and fetal cells1. Yet the underlying cellular, molecular and spatial programmes remain incompletely defined. Here we generate a comprehensive atlas of the human maternal-fetal interface across normal pregnancies from early gestation to term by integrating large-scale paired single-nucleus transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility profiling with submicrometre-resolution spatial transcriptomics and CODEX multiplex protein imaging2, substantially boosting the spatiotemporal resolution of prior research3. This framework delineates common and transient cell types, states and spatial niches across the fetal and maternal compartments, reconstructs transcriptional programmes that guide cytotrophoblast and decidual stromal cell differentiation, and resolves recurrent architecture structural units that build this interface. We identify previously unrecognized arterial endothelial state transitions during cytotrophoblast-mediated spiral artery remodelling and develop a machine learning model that predicts cytotrophoblast invasiveness from transcriptomic signatures. We further discover a decidual stromal cell subtype that suppresses cytotrophoblast invasion via endocannabinoid signalling at the human maternal-fetal interface. By integrating the atlas with genome-wide association data, we pinpoint maternal and fetal cells that are most vulnerable to pre-eclampsia, preterm birth or miscarriage. This resource provides a comprehensive spatially resolved single-cell multiomic reference of the human placenta and decidua and offers a framework for decoding their normal and disordered development.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41951740 · DOI · PMC13149032
Epigenetics and chromatin structure regulate var2csa expression and the placental-binding phenotype in Plasmodium falciparum [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for what appears to be a never-ending public health issue in the developing world.
- Closing excerpt
- falciparum and increase our understanding of the mechanisms regulating antigenic variation at the epigenetics and chromatin structure level.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (218 words)
Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for what appears to be a never-ending public health issue in the developing world. With repeated infections, a gradual semi-immunity to severe malaria can be acquired, but this is disrupted when women become pregnant as the parasite cytoadheres in the placenta to prevent splenic clearance. This change in tissue tropism is due to specific transcription of the antigenically variable adhesin VAR2CSA. To better understand the molecular mechanisms activating var2csa and antigenic variation overall, we used a combination of phenotypic and systems biology assays. We first established phenotypically homogenous populations of VAR2CSA-expressing and placenta-binding parasites that were shown to exclusively transcribe var2csa while all other var genes remained silenced. We also confirmed that the transcriptional activation was strongly associated with distinct depletion of repressive H3K9me3 marks. Further, we used chromatin conformation capture as a high-resolution approach to determine interchromosomal interactions and established that transcriptional activation is linked to a small yet significant repositioning of var2csa relative to heterochromatic telomeric clusters. Lastly, we demonstrated that occupancy of 5-methylcytosine was present in all var genes but independent of transcriptional repression and switching. All together, these findings provide insights at high resolution into the potential role of 5-methylcytosine in P. falciparum and increase our understanding of the mechanisms regulating antigenic variation at the epigenetics and chromatin structure level.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41984626 · DOI · PMC13082790
Defective Trophoblast Differentiation, Endothelial Dysfunction, and Immune Dysregulation in Preeclampsia Coalesce on a Placental VGLL3-Centered Gene Network [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundPreeclampsia affects approximately 1 in 10 pregnancies, leading to severe complications and long-term health risks for both mother and offspring.
- Closing excerpt
- ConclusionsThese findings position VGLL3 as a promising novel therapeutic target for preeclampsia.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (156 words)
BackgroundPreeclampsia affects approximately 1 in 10 pregnancies, leading to severe complications and long-term health risks for both mother and offspring. While the etiology remains unclear, preeclampsia has been linked to both autoimmunity and the timing of menarche.MethodsThrough human single-cell and spatial analyses, coupled with in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo models, we demonstrate that VGLL3 (Vestigial-like family member 3), a transcription coregulator in the Hippo pathway, is upregulated in preeclamptic placentas.ResultsVGLL3 promotes immune activation, impairs trophoblast differentiation, and induces endothelial dysfunction, all of which contribute to pregnancy-related hypertension, fetal growth restriction, and offspring mortality. Our data reveal that VGLL3 acts upstream of preeclampsia-associated processes, including the production of sFLT1 (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1), a key biomarker of the disease. Notably, targeting VGLL3, either by genetic deletion in mouse placentas or through therapeutic inhibition in human placentas, protects against preeclampsia and alleviates disease pathology.ConclusionsThese findings position VGLL3 as a promising novel therapeutic target for preeclampsia.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41953989 · DOI · PMC13120743
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Sex differences in energy metabolism: natural selection, mechanisms and consequences [4]
- Research article Number and function of uterine natural killer cells in recurrent miscarriage and implantation failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis [5]
- Research article Predictive accuracy of cerebroplacental ratio for adverse perinatal and neurodevelopmental outcomes in suspected fetal growth restriction: systematic review and meta-analysis [6]
- Research article The genetic architecture of sporadic and multiple consecutive miscarriage [7]
- Research article Placental histopathology associated with pre-eclampsia: systematic review and meta-analysis [8]
- Research article Systematic review and meta-analysis: rapid diagnostic tests versus placental histology, microscopy and PCR for malaria in pregnant women [9]
References
- Wang C, Zhou Y, Wang Y, Guha TK, Luo Z, Mustafaraj A, et al.. Single-cell spatiotemporal dissection of the human maternal-fetal interface. . 2026. PMID 41951740 · DOI · PMC13149032
- Lenz T, Sirel M, Hoppe H, Shafeeq S, Le Roch KG, Ribacke U. Epigenetics and chromatin structure regulate var2csa expression and the placental-binding phenotype in Plasmodium falciparum. . 2026. PMID 41984626 · DOI · PMC13082790
- Plazyo O, Chopp LB, Peela R, Young K, Zhang H, Bogle R, et al.. Defective Trophoblast Differentiation, Endothelial Dysfunction, and Immune Dysregulation in Preeclampsia Coalesce on a Placental VGLL3-Centered Gene Network. . 2026. PMID 41953989 · DOI · PMC13120743
- Mauvais-Jarvis F. Sex differences in energy metabolism: natural selection, mechanisms and consequences. Nat Rev Nephrol. 2024. PMID 37923858 · DOI
- Von Woon E, Greer O, Shah N, Nikolaou D, Johnson M, Male V. Number and function of uterine natural killer cells in recurrent miscarriage and implantation failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Hum Reprod Update. 2022. PMID 35265977 · DOI · PMC9247428
- Conde-Agudelo A, Villar J, Kennedy SH, Papageorghiou AT. Predictive accuracy of cerebroplacental ratio for adverse perinatal and neurodevelopmental outcomes in suspected fetal growth restriction: systematic review and meta-analysis. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2018. PMID 29920817 · DOI
- Laisk T, Soares ALG, Ferreira T, Painter JN, Censin JC, Laber S, et al.. The genetic architecture of sporadic and multiple consecutive miscarriage. Nat Commun. 2020. PMID 33239672 · DOI · PMC7689465
- Falco ML, Sivanathan J, Laoreti A, Thilaganathan B, Khalil A. Placental histopathology associated with pre-eclampsia: systematic review and meta-analysis. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2017. PMID 28436167 · DOI
- Kattenberg JH, Ochodo EA, Boer KR, Schallig HD, Mens PF, Leeflang MM. Systematic review and meta-analysis: rapid diagnostic tests versus placental histology, microscopy and PCR for malaria in pregnant women. Malar J. 2011. PMID 22035448 · DOI · PMC3228868
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.