Figure 1.

The schematic structure of the placenta and a description of perinatal MSCs. The placenta is an organ in which interactions between maternal and fetal cells, necessary for the development of the fetus, take place. Specifically, the placenta is made up of structures of fetal origin, such as the placental disc, the fetal membranes, divided into amniotic and chorionic membranes, and the umbilical cord, as well as a membrane of maternal origin called the decidua which originates from the endometrium. The chorionic villosity that forms the boundary between maternal and fetal blood during pregnancy represents the functional unit of the placenta. The different structures of the placenta are enriched by MSCs particularly useful in regenerative medicine and for the treatment of various pathologies. Abbreviations: dMSCs: decidua mesenchymal stromal cells; iEVT: inner extravillous trophoblast; eEVT: external extravillous trophoblast; STB: syncytiotrophoblast; CTB: cytotrophoblast; hCV-MSCs: human chorionic villi mesenchymal stromal cells; WJ-MSCs: Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stromal cells; UC-MSCs: umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells; AC-MSCs: amnio-chorion mesenchymal stromal cells.