What is placenta used for

What are Placental Stem Cells and What are They Used For?

What are placental stem cells and what are placental stem cells used for? As placental stem cells get explored for a variety of therapeutic applications, these questions become increasingly important. The opportunity to collect placental stem cells is also a once in a lifetime opportunity.

In this article:

What is the Placenta?
What are Placental Stem Cells?
Placental Stem Cell Banking
Clinical Applications of Placental Stem Cells
Placental Stem Cell Injection
Are Placental Stem Cells Pluripotent?

What is the Placenta?

The placenta is an organ that connects the developing fetus to the uterine wall, allowing a flow of nutrients, gases, and hormones between the mother and the fetus during pregnancy. The placenta is a maternal-fetal organ that joins the mother and fetus during pregnancy. Although it serves many functions, its primary role is to transport oxygen (O₂) and nutrients from the mother and facilitate the release of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and waste from the developing baby.

Because of its role in blood and oxygen transportation, the placenta is rich in blood vessels. During the birthing process, the placenta and the fetal membranes are expelled from the mother.

After childbirth, blood remains in the placenta, which can be collected and stored for a fee for future therapeutic use.

What are Placental Stem Cells?

Placental stem cells are a type of stem cell that is derived from a newborn’s placental blood or tissue.

Perinatal is a term that defines the short period right before to right after birth. When the baby is born, blood remains in the placenta. Both the placental blood and tissue are rich sources of perinatal stem cells.

Placenta stem cells include a variety of perinatal cell types, including:

The maternal part of the placenta, called the decidua
The amniotic and chorionic membranes
The chorionic villi

Other afterbirth components include the umbilical cord blood and the umbilical cord tissue. These tissues are rich in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), respectively.

Placental Stem Cell Banking

Because the placental is a valuable source of stem cells, companies such as LifebankUSA offer private storage services for placental blood and tissue. In July 2017, LifebankUSA released its 50th cord blood unit for transplant. Ten of its 50 transplants (20%) have involved placenta blood stem cells, making it the market leader in this area. No other stem cell bank worldwide has yet to release a placenta stem cell unit for use in transplant.

Based in New Jersey, Celularity is a biotechnology company that specializes in leveraging biologically active cell populations within the postpartum human placenta. Founded on the pioneering work of Robert Hariri, MD, PhD, in human placenta-derived cellular therapeutics and biomaterials, Celularity is leveraging the biocreative event on earth: human birth.

Americord Registry is another company that offers placental blood collection and storage within the U. S. In July 2019, Americord launched its Placental Tissue 2.0^TM service, allowing families to store two types of stem cells from placental tissue, including MSCs and amniotic epithelial cells (or AECs). In other parts of the world, a growing number of companies are also now offering placental blood and tissue storage services.

Within India, one example of such company is ReeLabs, a private cord blood bank that offers storage services for more than 10 different types of tissues.

Clinical Applications of Placental Stem Cells

As mentioned, Celularity is exploring a variety of potential applications for placental stem cells, including longevity and augmented immunity applications. As stated by Celularity’s Founder and CEO, Dr. Robert Hariri, “When I realized the placenta is perhaps the most valuable, never before considered biological resource, I committed that I would find a way to collect and process it into products.”

Another company that is exploring clinical applications of placental stem cells is Pluristem Therapeutics. Based in Israel, Pluristem Therapeutics (PSTI) is a clinical-stage cell therapy company that is a world leader in cell therapy manufacturing and placental-derived products.

Pluristem has developed PLX cells, which are adherent stromal cells or mesenchymal-like cells collected from post-partum human placentas. It collects the placentas from consented donors, after which it extracts and collections a target cell population. Next, it expand the cells using proprietary bioreactors to produce a large number of doses, approximately 20,000 doses (20,000 treatments) from a single placenta.

Pluristem has treated hundreds of patients across the globe for different indications within its clinical trial programs.

Bioreactor clean room at Pluristem Therapeutics

Placental Stem Cell Injections

There are a variety of perinatal stem cell types that are used within stem cell injections and treatments. For example, umbilical cord blood stem cells are used within hematopoietic stem cell cell transplantation (HSCT) and mesenchymal stem cells present in umbilical cord tissue are being explored in clinical trials worldwide.

However, placental stem cell injections are uncommon. This is because placental stem cell therapies require formal clinical trials under the oversight of national regulatory bodies. This is why Pluristem Therapeutics has multiple clinical trials underway to explore the therapeutic potential of its placental-derived PLX cells.

Whether or not a stem cell requires a clinical trial to be utilized by medical professionals depends on several factors. These factors are described within specific sections of the FDA code. In the U.S., cellular therapies are regulated by the FDA’s Office of Cellular, Tissue, and Gene Therapies (OCTGT) within the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER).

Placental stem cells are cells sourced from the placenta, which is collected after delivery of full-term healthy babies. The cells are completely non-controversial. If a family does not elect to store its placenta, then it gets discarded as medical waste. With approximately 4 million births per year in the U. S., only a small fraction of placental blood and tissue is preserved (a fraction of 1%).

In contrast, embryonic stem cells (ESC) are cells derived from embryos at fertility clinics with informed donor consent. They are harvested shortly after fertilization, within 4-5 days. Embryonic stem cells are the only controversial stem cell type. They are derived from blastocysts, a stage in the developing embryo and can become any cell type within the human body.

Are Placental Stem Cells Pluripotent?

To understand whether placental stem cells are pluripotent, you need to understand the following definitions:

Totipotent stem cells – Cells that have the capacity to form an entire organism
Pluripotent stem cells – Cells that can give rise to most, but not all, tissues within an organism
Multipotent stem cells – Undifferentiated cells that are limited to giving rise to specific populations of cells

Placental stem cells are not totipotent, because only two types of stem cells have this capacity: embryonic stem cells, and a reprogrammed type of stem cell, known as an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS cell).

Although it generally believed that pluripotent stem cells do not exist beyond the first few weeks of fetal development, the placenta does contain a variety of stem and progenitor cell types that reflect its embryonic origin. Placental stem cells are most likely multipotent. Meaning, they are destined to become specific populations of cells.

Would you preserve your newborn’s placental stem cells? Share why or why not in comments below.

Should I Eat My Placenta? Placentophagy and Placenta Pills

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

What Does the Placenta Do?

The placenta, or afterbirth, is the first organ that forms -- even before any of your baby's organs -- after you conceive. It plays an important role in your pregnancy: It connects you and your baby in the uterus and delivers oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to them. It also takes away the waste that they make.

The placenta grows throughout your pregnancy. It is also the only organ your body makes and then gets rid of. After you give birth, you don't need it anymore. If your baby arrived through vaginal delivery, you'll push it out vaginally. If you have a C-section, the doctor will remove the placenta from your uterus. At delivery time, it weighs about 1 pound. It looks round and flat.

People who support eating the placenta say that it can raise your energy and breast milk quantity. They also say it can level off your hormones, lowering your chances of postpartum depression and insomnia.

Those claims have not been fully tested. So there is no proof that eating your placenta actually does these things. But some experts say we should continue to study it.

In animals other than humans, eating the afterbirth has some perks. It might reduce labor pains in a female dog, for example, as their remaining puppies are born, and it can encourage the mother to bond with their newborns.

Remember, though, that's for a dog, not for a woman.

The placenta does have protein and fats. But those nutrients can be found in a healthy diet.

Human placentophagy isn't new. Throughout history, different cultures have done it, although they don't always think it's a good thing. Some experts think that modern doulas and midwives may recommend placentophagy based on a misunderstanding of scientific literature.

What to Expect If You Try It

One of the ways that women eat their placenta is dried, powdered, and sealed into capsules. Swallowing a pill with the dried placenta might be easier if you're squeamish about seeing, touching, or tasting the "raw" tissue itself. Often a midwife can prepare the pills for you. But one of the things we don't know is whether heating it offsets any of its benefits.

Since there's little research on eating the afterbirth, it's hard to know how you will feel. Most women who want or expect to feel good or better after eating placenta do feel that way. But that may be just a placebo effect.

Some women have said they feel sick after eating it. If you research online or talk to women who have tried it, you can get varied opinions. But those are based on personal experience, not scientific evidence.

How to Decide If It's for You

While there doesn't seem to be any proof that eating your placenta can help you, there is some proof that it can hurt. If you eat it "fresh" or raw, it might spread infection. Even processing your placenta by putting it in capsules might spoil it with bacteria or viruses.

Some hospitals may not allow you to take it or eat it. So if you're considering it, ask ahead of time about their policy.

What to do with the placenta? 10 uses

The placenta (baby place, afterbirth, storage) is a unique organ. It appears only for 8-9 months to provide the unborn child with oxygen and all the necessary nutrients, but after the third stage of labor it becomes unnecessary. What can be done with the placenta after the doctor examined it and said that everything is in order? There are at least 10 options, and each has its supporters.

Eat. This is exactly what female placental mammals do after giving birth, even herbivores. After all, the afterbirth contains many valuable nutrients, and after giving birth in the wild, you need to restore strength as soon as possible in order to be able to run and get food again.

Women still do this too, especially in parts of Asia. Some experts recommend eating the placenta for the prevention of postpartum depression and anemia. However, in our time, placentophagy has acquired many exotic forms: since it is rather problematic for a civilized person to simply eat a raw afterbirth, as in the wild, the placenta is either heat-treated, like ordinary meat, or smoothies are prepared, or encapsulated. To do this, the placenta must be steam-dried, turned into powder, and then taken in the form of capsules. Of course, only those who have the appropriate technical capabilities resort to such methods. However, you should be aware of the risks: the placenta contains hormones, is not sterile, and may even be infected. nine0003

Bury. In our climatic latitudes, the placenta was most often buried in the ground. This could be accompanied by rituals: the placenta was washed, sprinkled with fragrant herbs, spices, put in an embroidered bag (they could cover it with a layer of wet clay and dry it so that it would not become food for wild animals), and only then they put it in a specially prepared hole - under the house, in a wasteland but most often under a tree. If a girl was born, the placenta was buried under a "female" tree - for example, an apple tree. If the family was replenished with a boy, the children's place was buried under a maple or oak tree so that the guy would grow up strong and powerful. Nowadays, the placenta can be buried under the so-called "family tree" to ensure the baby's health and well-being, or they can simply be buried in a flower bed - they say, this is how flowers grow better. nine0003

Bury. In some countries (particularly on the island of Bali), it is customary not just to bury the placenta, but to ritually hide it in a cemetery, believing that it is a living being.

Make a decoration. The placenta looks good in epoxy, so some women order a pendant, bracelet, ring or necklace from their own placenta from jewelers. Such decoration should symbolize the bond between mother and child. nine0003

Dry for memory. Dried placentas are sometimes used in art compositions or sewn into toys.

Sell. Cosmetics made using the placenta are very popular on the market - creams, gels, serums, shampoos, etc. Especially effective are products with a placenta in anti-aging cosmetology - because in this way you can stimulate the appearance of new cells, as well as activate the production of collagen and elastin, and the skin becomes more elastic. Therefore, some women sell their afterbirth. Although, of course, you won’t earn a lot of money this way. nine0003

Use in homemade skin cream. However, a cream that will help heal the skin, reduce scars and stretch marks, and even heal sore or cracked nipples is even made independently. To do this, placenta powder is added to other components.

Dispose of. In Ukraine, this is the most common scenario for the development of events. Maternity hospitals are guided by a protocol for handling biowaste: after the completion of the third stage of labor, the placenta is examined and sent for freezing in a special chamber. When it is full, the placentas are taken for disposal - more often they are buried, less often they are burned. nine0003

Deposit in the cryobank. Today, the placenta - like cord blood - is used to isolate the most valuable mesenchymal stem cells. Even now, stem cells are successfully used for the treatment of various diseases and in cosmetology, this area is rightly called "medicine of the XXI century." Therefore, such a “contribution” can be a very profitable investment in the health of the child and the longevity of the parents. Interestingly, stem cells are obtained from a smaller part of the placenta, from the amnion and chorion, which are genetically related to the child. The remains of the placenta can be used as the family decides, because everyone has their own opinion and traditions of the family. nine0003

Read also 10 unique facts about the placenta

What is the placenta and what is it for: 10 interesting facts lactation. This organ produces, among others, the following substances: human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone responsible for the successful start of pregnancy; placental lactogen, which also helps prepare the breast for lactation; progesterone and estrogen.

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The placenta begins to form at the same time as the baby, it nourishes and protects him. Blood from the mother's body carries oxygen and nutrients to the placenta, which reach the fetus through the umbilical cord. That is, it performs the functions of several organs at once, which are necessary for the development of the child. The placenta does not allow the blood of the mother and the unborn child to mix, despite the fact that both of these blood circulate in it.

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About 500 milliliters of blood is sent to the placenta every minute. This happens even when the woman is sleeping. nine0003

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Placenta - female organ. But both female and male cells take part in its formation. Which is not surprising, because without them the fertilization of the egg is impossible, and hence the process of the formation of the placenta.

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The placenta performs its functions without connection with the woman's nervous system. It does not contain nerve cells, therefore it does not obey either the spinal cord or the brain. However, she works! Miracles!

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The placenta is the only disposable organ that can develop in the human body. Yes, we can live without some organs after surgery, but the placenta is designed to be used only once per pregnancy. As soon as the child is born, the need for it disappears.

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As soon as the placenta leaves the mother's body, it starts the process of producing breast milk. During pregnancy, prolactin, which is necessary for lactation, is also produced, however, a large amount of progesterone and estrogen produced by the placenta suppress the breastfeeding hormone. The birth of the placenta allows you to drastically reduce the amount of progesterone and estrogen and put prolactin into action. nine0003

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The average weight of the placenta at 36-40 weeks of gestation is 519 grams.

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There is a phenomenon called placentophagy, that is, eating the placenta (and this is common not only among animals, but also among people). Some argue that it helps reduce the risk of postpartum depression, improve the lactation process, but these theses have not yet been scientifically confirmed and are advised to refrain from adding it to food. Experts believe that all the wonderful properties of the placenta can be attributed to the placebo effect. As for the nutritional composition of the placenta, it is known that it contains proteins and fats, but ordinary food also contains them. nine0003