Title: trophoblast
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - trophoblast
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.11327
Status: current

Definition
Outer layer of the blastocyst that invades the endometrium and establishes nutrition for the embryo.

Note
Trophoblast cells do not form part of the embryo, but contribute to the development of the placenta.

Related Terms
- blastocyst: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/10462
- endometrium: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/10660
- placenta: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/11095

Source
- PAC, 2016, 88, 713. 'Glossary of terms used in developmental and reproductive toxicology (IUPAC Recommendations 2016)' on page 816 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-1202)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/11327/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/11327/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/11327/xml

Citation: Citation: 'trophoblast' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.11327
License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms.
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Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.
Accessed: 2026-05-10T08:49:17+00:00