Abstract
Pregnancy complications such as preterm birth, miscarriage, maternal and/or neonatal morbidities, and mortality can be manifestations of underlying placental pathology. Hofbauer cells refer to a heterogeneous population of fetal macrophages that reside within the functional unit of the placenta known as the chorionic villus. Hofbauer cells can be detected within the connective tissue matrix of the placenta as early as 4 weeks post-conception and are present throughout pregnancy. These cells are implicated in a wide array of functions important for a successful pregnancy including placental morphogenesis, immune regulation, control of stromal water content, and the transfer of ions and serum proteins across the maternal–fetal barrier. Derangements in Hofbauer cell homeostasis are associated with placental pathologies involving infection, inflammation, and inadequate placental development. Despite a growing body of evidence that these cells are important, our knowledge about Hofbauer cell function in both normal and dysfunctional pregnancy is rudimentary. The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview of what is known about Hofbauer cell origins and their potential roles in normal and complicated pregnancy. We also review established and emerging methodologies available for the study of Hofbauer cells during in vitro and in vivo conditions.
Keywords
- Chorionic Villus
- Intervillous Space
- Complicated Pregnancy
- Placental Pathology
- Placental Macrophage
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by Wisconsin National Primate Research Center P510D011106-55 pilot award and University of Wisconsin—Madison, School of Veterinary Medicine faculty start-up funds. The funders had no role in study design, data collection, and analysis; decision to publish; or preparation of this chapter.
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Reyes, L., Wolfe, B., Golos, T. (2017). Hofbauer Cells: Placental Macrophages of Fetal Origin. In: Kloc, M. (eds) Macrophages. Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation, vol 62. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54090-0_3
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