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. 2009 Mar 19;23(6):784–793. doi: 10.1210/me.2008-0371

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Induction of aromatase expression and syncytiotrophoblast differentiation are inhibited by culture of human trophoblasts in PRF medium containing charcoal-stripped serum. Syncytia formation and CYP19 mRNA are increased by E2 treatment. Freshly isolated human placental cytotrophoblasts were suspended in phenol red-containing DMEM with 2% FBS (DMEM) or in PRF DMEM containing 2% charcoal-stripped FBS (DMEMPRF) with or without E2 and plated at a density of 2 × 106 cells per dish. A, After 72 h of culture in DMEM (left panel), in DMEMPRF (middle panel), or in DMEMPRF plus E2 (right panel), the cells were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and viewed by light microscopy. B, RNA was isolated from cells either before culture (d 0) or after 72 h of culture in DMEM, in DMEMPRF, or in DMEMPRF plus10 nm estradiol, and expression of hCYP19I.1 mRNA transcripts was analyzed by qRT-PCR. Data are the mean ± sem of values from three independent experiments, each conducted in triplicate, and are expressed relative to expression levels in cytotrophoblasts before culture. *, P < 0.05 for 0 h vs. DMEM; **, P < 0.05 for DMEM vs. DMEMPRF; ***, P < 0.05 for DMEMPRF vs. DMEMPRF plus E2.