A placenta-on-a-chip model to determine the regulation of FKBPL and galectin-3 in preeclampsia

Abstract Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific cardiovascular disorder and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in pregnancy. Although inappropriate placental development and growth are recognized as root causes of preeclampsia, pathogenic mechanisms are poorly understood due to limited models of the disease, particularly in early pregnancy. Here, we first confirm the aberrant expression of important vascular and inflammatory proteins, FK506-binding protein like (FKBPL) and galectin-3 (Gal-3), in human plasma and placental tissue from women with/without preeclampsia. We then employ a 3D microfluidic placental model incorporating human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and a first trimester trophoblast cell line (ACH-3P) to investigate FKBPL and Gal-3 signalling in inflammatory conditions. In human samples, both circulating (n = 17 controls; n = 30 preeclampsia) and placental (n ≥ 6) FKBPL and Gal-3 levels were increased in preeclampsia compared to heathy controls (plasma: FKBPL, p < 0.0001; Gal-3, p < 0.01; placenta: FKBPL, p < 0.05; Gal-3, p < 0.01), indicative of vascular dysfunction in preeclampsia. In our placenta-on-a-chip model, we show that endothelial cells are critical for trophoblast-mediated migration and that trophoblasts effectively remodel the vasculature recapitulating placental development. Inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor-α (10ng/ml) modulates both FKBPL and Gal-3 signalling in conjunction with trophoblast migration and impairs vasculature (p < 0.005). Our placenta-on-a-chip recapitulates aspects of aberrant placentation in preeclampsia and represents a promising platform for further placental research.