trophoblast

trophoblast /tro·pho·blast/ (tro´fo-blast) the peripheral cells of the blastocyst, which attach the blastocyst to the uterine wall and become the placenta and the membranes that nourish and protect the developing organism.trophoblas´tic

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tro·pho·blast (trf-blst)

n.

The outermost layer of cells of the blastocyst that attaches the fertilized ovum to the uterine wall and serves as a nutritive pathway for the embryo. Also called trophoderm.

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tropho·blastic adj.

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Trophoblast

The tissues that surround an embryo and attach it to the uterus.

Mentioned in: Choriocarcinoma

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trophoblast

[trof′əblast′]

Etymology: Gk, trophe + blastos, germ

the outermost layer of tissue that forms the wall of the blastocyst of placental mammals in the early stages of embryonic development. It functions in the implantation of the blastocyst in the uterine wall and in supplying nutrients to the embryo. At implantation the cells differentiate into two layers: the inner cytotrophoblast, which forms the chorion, and the syncytiotrophoblast, which develops into the outer layer of the placenta. Also called trophectoderm. trophoblastic, adj.

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trophoblast

the peripheral cells of the blastocyst, which attach the fertilized ovum to the uterine wall and contribute to the placenta and the membranes that nourish and protect the developing organism. The inner cellular layer is the cytotrophoblast and the outer layer is the syntrophoblast.