Isolation of villous cytotrophoblasts from second trimester human placentas

Human placental functional studies are often performed using immortalised trophoblast cells and cell lines established from human choriocarcinomas, which, while practical, may not truly reflect trophoblast function in vivo. Primary trophoblast cultures derived from human placentas following pregnancy termination or delivery are more clinically relevant, but trophoblast isolation protocols are only available for 1st trimester and term placental tissues. Here we report a method for isolation and purification of primary villous cytotrophoblasts from 2nd trimester human placentas, that yields >99% trophoblast purity as shown by immunofluorescence.