5 surprisingly useful things we can do with placenta

After childbirth, hospitals usually toss the placenta as biohazard material.^[] But research suggests we may be wasting life-saving tissue.

“Placental tissues, a wealth of potential for healing, contain stem cells and rare growth factors outside fetal development,” Francisco M. Torres, MD, a director at Florida Spine Institute, tells MDLinx. “This unique composition makes them an attractive alternative for medical breakthroughs.” 

Let's breakdown the top-five emerging uses for placenta.

Lower extremity ulcers

Grafts for wound healing can be prepared from placental tissues, including amniotic membrane and fluid, chorion, and the umbilical cord.^[] These grafts may replace damaged tissue, promote tissue regeneration, and promote healing on the periphery of wounds. 

Specifically, diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers have benefitted from such procedures, demonstrating faster healing times compared to standard treatment.

Burns

Placental tissue can help adults and children with burns, particularly partial-thickness burns.^[] In randomized controlled trials, human amniotic membrane was superior to several common burn treatments, including Biobrane, Omiderm, sulphadiazine cream, and Water Gel. Patients experienced fewer dressing changes and less bacterial contamination, oozing, and hypertrophic scarring when treated with placenta. 

Hearing loss

Current treatment for the hearing impaired includes hearing aids and cochlear implants. Although helpful, these options aren’t curative. 

In one study, researchers transplanted MSCs to the intracranial cochlear nerve trunk in mice with ouabain-induced auditory neuropathy. They observed more spiral ganglion neurons and superior hearing improvement after 3 months of treatment with MSCs vs control models.^[]

Liver and lung diseases

Fibrotic diseases of organs like the liver and lungs also appear to benefit from the healing power of placental cells based on animal studies.^[] Injured murine lungs displayed a reduction in fibrosis and increased degradation of collagen following human placental cell transplantation. In rat livers subject to bile duct ligation, severity of liver fibrosis was significantly reduced by the application of amnion fragments. 

Eye disorders

The use of amniotic membranes from placenta has a long history of success in ophthalmology.^[] Placental tissue promotes healing in delicate tissues of the eye by preventing scars and inflammation. 

Amnion, as an adjunct tool in glaucoma surgery, reduces fibrosis, bleb leakage, and hypotony. Additionally, patients who had pterygium extended removal followed by fibrin-glue-assisted amniotic membrane transplantation experienced favorable cosmetic outcomes and low recurrence and complication rates. Eye drops prepared with amniotic membrane help heal corneal ulcers, epithelial defects, and other ocular surface issues such as chemical burns, dry eyes, and neurotrophic keratitis.

Should we save the placenta?

“Placental donation should be handled like other organ donations: collected systematically from donors who want to help save lives and awarded to patients based on need and potential benefit rather than to the one with the most money,” explains Dr. Torres. 

However, Dr. Torres warns, “We don't want patients to be denied new healing modalities because they are too expensive, and we don't want new parents or parents-to-be making decisions about pregnancy or childbirth based on financial incentives.”