The fertilised egg implants itself into the uterus wall around one week after fertilisation, and there it begins to separate into three layers of cell groups. Each of these three cell groups will form into a group of organs. At around four weeks the three groups start to develop as follows: skin, brain, spinal cord, teeth, mouth, anus, etc., bones, muscles, blood vessels, kidneys, etc., and oesophagus, stomach, intestines, liver, bladder, etc. At around eight weeks, although still immature, these three groups are fixed and their growth will be rapid.
It is here where another of the placenta's important roles comes into play. As well as providing nutrients and oxygen to the embryo and protecting it, the placenta acts as a substitute for immature organs as they develop.
In other words, the placenta carries out essential functions for the embryo such as respiration and protein synthesis, breakdown of toxins, hormone secretion, and excretion of waste. The functions performed by the placenta in place of organs can be summarised as follows:
* Functions of the LUNGS (Respiration)
The embryo receives oxygen from its mother's blood via the placenta. Also, carbon dioxide produced by the embryo is deposited in the the mother's blood, again via placenta
* Functions of the LIVER (Metabolism, Detoxification)
An adult liver operates using up to 200 enzymes and around 500 chemical processes simultaneously (for detoxification functions such as protein synthesis). In an embryo, the liver does not process enough enzymes to perform detoxification, so the placenta provides the missing funtionality. The placenta also breaks down toxins, just like the liver
* Functions of the KIDNEYS (Excretion)
The placenta processes the embryo's waste matter and passes it into the mother's bloodstream
* Functions of the PITUITARY GLAND and OVARIES (Endocrine System)
A vigorously developing embryo needs large quantities of hormones, and it is the placenta which supplies them. Essentially, it provides the hormone secretion functions of endocrine organs such as the pituitary gland or the ovaries
* Functions of the SPLEEN (Immune System)
The placenta acts as a barrier preventing the invasion of viruses and foreign substances
* Functions of the SMALL INTESTINES(Digestion)
An embryo's only source of protein is amino acids. In the placenta, serum proteins in the mother's blood are digested and broken down into amino acids before being passed to the embryo Neutral fats are also hydrolysed in the placenta and passed to the embryo
Another important aspect of the placenta is its regulatory function. For example, the placenta prevents the two opposing problems of blood coagulation and bleeding. Think about when you accidentally cut yourself. Normally your blood needs to coagulation before the bleeding can stop. If the blood is prevented from coagulating bleeding would not stop. So, the placenta regulates the blood to create a balance between the two functions, allowing them to co-exist. To put it another way, the placenta needs to prevent coagulation in order to supply blood to the embryo, but it also needs to prevent any bleeding in order to protect the mother. Therefore, the placenta self-regulates to provide whichever function is required at the time. The placenta constantly strives to maintain the status-quo, providing the regulatory functions essential to life.
The placenta which acts as an agent for various organs for the undeveloped embryo. You might call the PLACENTA an all-purpose organ.
Reference: http://www.zell-v.com/
Information provided on this blog is for informational purposes only; it is not intended as a substitute for advice from your own medical team or any form of advertisment. The information on this blog is not to be used for diagnosing or treating any health concerns you may have - please contact your physician or health care professional for all your medical needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment