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Etude ultrastructurale du paraplacenta de chatte: mécanisme de l'érythrophagocytose par la cellule chorionique

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Summary

Located on all sides of the placental labyrinth, the paraplacenta or “brown border” is constituted by the chorioallantoic membrane and the uterine mucosa facing it. The chorionic cells are actively engaged in the uptake and subsequent breakdown of extravased maternal erythrocytes.

This phagocytic activity is probably cyclic in nature. In the “ingestion” phase an erythrocyte is phagocytosed in the apex of a chorionic cell, and the “digestive” phase occurs after fusion of lysosomes with the phagocytic vacuole. Subsequent breakdown of the red cell membrane leads to release of the content of the erythrocyte into the vacuole. Then the breakdown proceeds in smaller vacuoles of the median zone of the cell. Some vacuoles contain concentric whorls of membrane, associated with granules of variable size; others contain a finely granular material. The short-lived final, or “elimination,” phase is characterized by the presence of 1,000 Å finely granular bodies along the basement membrane and in close approximation to fetal capillaries. These non-membrane-bound bodies seem to be constituted of ferritinlike particles and exhibit pseudoperoxydasic activities with D.A.B. procedures. This paraplacental erythrophagocytosis is the major source of iron for the fetus.

At their apical surface, the chorionic cells exhibit microvilli, micropinocytotic vesicles and a well-defined “cell coat.” The underlying cytoplasm contains numerous absorption vesicles or tubules and multivesicular bodies suggestive of protein absorption.

Résumé

Localisé de part et d'autre du labyrinthe, le paraplacenta ou “bordure brune”, est constitué de la membrane allanto-chorionique faisant face à l'épithélium utérin. Les cellules chorioniques phagocytent et dégradent des hématies d'origine maternelle; cette activité est probablement cyclique. Durant la phase d'“ingestion”, l'hématie est phagocytée à l'apex de la cellule, puis après fusion de lysosomes avec la vacuole phagocytique, la phase “digestive” commence et se déroule principalement dans la zone médiane de la cellule, au niveau de vacuoles de tailles plus réduites. Certaines vacuoles contiennent des figures myéliniques associèes ou non à des granules de taille variable, d'autres un matériel finement granulaire. La brève phase d'élimination se caractérise par la présence au voisinage de la lamelle basale et des capillaires foetaux, de corpuscules de 1,000 Å probablement constitués d'agrégats de particules de ferritine. Ces corpuscules exhibent une activité pseudoperoxydasique. Cette érythrophagocytose placentaire représente la source principale de fer pour le foetus.

Les microvilli, les vésicules de micropinocytose, le système tubulaire et les corps multivésiculaires de la zone apicale de la cellule, suggèrent une fonction d'absorption de protéines de la cellule. Il en est de même de la richesse du “cell coat” de la surface membranaire apicale.

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  1. Laboratoire de Physiologie Animale, Université de Poitiers, U.E.R. Sciences, 40, Avenue du Recteur Pineau, F-86022, Poitiers, France

    André Malassiné

  2. Laboratoire de Physiologie Comparée, Parc de Grandmont, 37200, Tours, France

    André Malassiné

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Malassiné, A. Etude ultrastructurale du paraplacenta de chatte: mécanisme de l'érythrophagocytose par la cellule chorionique. Anat Embryol 151, 267–283 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00318930

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