Ageing in Human Parturition: Impetus of the Gestation Clock in the Decidua.

Ageing in Human Parturition: Impetus of the Gestation Clock in the Decidua. Biol Reprod. 2020 Jun 26;: Authors: Wijaya JC, Khanabdali R, Georgiou HM, Kalionis B Abstract Despite sharing many common features, the relationship between ageing and parturition remains poorly understood. The decidua is a specialized lining of endometrial tissue, which develops in preparation for pregnancy. The structure and location of the decidua supports its role as the physical scaffold for the growing embryo and placenta, and thus it is vital to sustain pregnancy. Approaching term, the physical support properties of the decidua are naturally weakened to permit parturition. In this review, we hypothesize that the natural weakening of decidual tissue at parturition is promoted by the ageing process. Studies of the ageing-related functional and molecular changes in the decidua at parturition are reviewed, and classified using hallmarks of ageing as the framework. The potential roles of decidual mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (DMSC) ageing in labour is also discussed because, although stem cell exhaustion is also a hallmark of ageing, its role in labour is not completely understood. In addition, the potential roles of extracellular vesicles secreted by DMSCs in labour, and their parturition-related miRNAs, are reviewed to gain further insight into this research area. In summary, the literature supports the notion that the decidua ages as the pregnancy progr...
Source: Reproductive Biology - Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Tags: Biol Reprod Source Type: research