Isolation and Purification of Villous Cytotrophoblast Cells from Term Human Placenta

The placenta is a key element during pregnancy for the health of the fetus and the mother, which justifies why placental studies are so important. One of the best models for placental studies is the primary cell culture of cytotrophoblast cells from human term placentas. In this chapter, we will detail firstly the isolation of cytotrophoblast cells, with tissue preparation, digestion, Percoll gradient, and cell freezing, and secondly the cell immunopurification and seeding.