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Assessment of an in vitro transport model using BeWo b30 cells to predict placental transfer of compounds

  • Toxicokinetics and Metabolism
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Abstract

The human ex vivo placental perfusion model has regularly been used to study the transplacental transport of compounds. However, this method is laborious and dependent on the presence of fresh human placenta, hampering its use for the assessment of large numbers of compounds. An in vitro model for the placental barrier using BeWo b30 cells may provide an alternative to the ex vivo system. The present study aims to assess whether such an in vitro model could be used to reliably predict placental transfer. To this end, BeWo b30 cells, derived from a human choriocarcinoma, were grown on transwell insert to form a cell layer, separating an apical maternal compartment from a basolateral fetal compartment. For a set of nine selected model compounds, including the reference compound antipyrine, the transport velocity from the apical to the basolateral compartment was determined. Relative transport rates obtained were compared with the transfer indices (a measure for the transport relative to antipyrine) of these compounds obtained in ex vivo placental perfusion studies as reported in the literature. The relative transport rates in the in vitro BeWo model were in good correlation (R 2 = 0.95) with the transfer indices reported for the ex vivo model. This indicates that the BeWo model could be a valuable in vitro model for prediction of placental transfer of compounds.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by BASF SE (Grant number 6153511230).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Toxicology, Wageningen University, Tuinlaan 5, 6700 HE, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Hequn Li, Bennard van Ravenzwaay, Ivonne M. C. M. Rietjens & Jochem Louisse

  2. Experimental Toxicology and Ecology, BASF SE, Z 470, 67056, Ludwigshafen, Germany

    Bennard van Ravenzwaay

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  1. Hequn Li
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  2. Bennard van Ravenzwaay
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  3. Ivonne M. C. M. Rietjens
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Correspondence to Hequn Li.

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Li, H., van Ravenzwaay, B., Rietjens, I.M.C.M. et al. Assessment of an in vitro transport model using BeWo b30 cells to predict placental transfer of compounds. Arch Toxicol 87, 1661–1669 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-013-1074-9

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