中文摘要：

胎儿发育过程中,胎盘既作为胎儿寄生于母体的中介,又在一定程度上充当胎儿的肾脏、肝脏、胃肠道以及呼吸、内分泌和免疫等系统,对母体和胎儿孕期,甚至终生的健康至关重要。然而,胎盘却是了解的最少的人类器官。随着现代生物学技术的发展,人类对胎盘的认识正在从简单的组织结构层面上升到细胞、分子层面,并逐渐走向组学和系统生物学时代。人类对胎盘认识的深入必将为改善妊娠结局提供重要的理论基础和技术路径。

英文摘要：

The placenta functions as an autonomous organ that supports the development of the embryo, and also serves, to a certain extent, as the kidney, liver, intestinal tracts and respiratory, endocrine and immune systems of the fetus. However, our knowledge on the human placenta is very limited. With the development of modern biology, researches on placental biology have extended from pure histomorphology to cellular and molecular biology, and will finally enter into an era of omics and systemic biology. A comprehensive understanding of the human placentawill provide a theoretical basis for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of pregnancy-associated diseases and hence improve pregnancy outcome.