Xiangning Song
Xiangning is a Tox Scholar and a PhD candidate in Dr. Milan Bagchi’s Lab in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology. Her research focuses on the effects of environmental toxicants, such as phthalates, on the function of the maternal-fetal interface during pregnancy. During placenta development, the extraembryonic trophoblast cells interact with the maternal endometrial cells to regulate embryo invasion into the endometrium, promote the development of placental vasculature, and maintain maternal-fetal nutrition and oxygen exchange that support fetal growth. In previous studies, it was found that mice exposed to di-isononyl phthalate during early pregnancy showed dysregulated trophoblast differentiation and defective placental development, leading to high rates of preterm birth and fetal loss. The Bagchi lab used an in vitro human trophoblast stem cell differentiation system to show that trophoblast cells secrete extracellular vesicles as they differentiate into different cell lineages, such as extravillous and syncytiotrophoblasts. Xiangning’s research will test the hypothesis that phthalate exposure affects human trophoblast lineage differentiation. Additionally, she will explore whether phthalates affect the secretion of extracellular vesicles by human trophoblast cells and human endometrial cells, disrupting the two-way communication between these cells during placenta development