Villous Mesenchymal Fibroblasts (VMF)

Fibroblasts are mesenchymal cells which perform many vital functions during development and in adulthood. They are responsible for much of the synthesis of extracellular matrix in connective tissue and play major roles in wound healing. Many diseases are associated with fibroblasts, either because fibroblasts are implicated in their etiology or because of the fibrosis that accompanies damage to other cell types. Fibroblasts are one of the most accessible mammalian cell types and one of the easiest types of cells to grow in culture. 

Villous mesenchymal fibroblasts (VMF) have been used as a model system for studying the cellular mechanisms involved in regulating human placental growth. Retinol and its active derivatives are essential for growth and development of the mammalian fetus. Studies suggest that villous mesenchymal fibroblasts are primary sites of retinol esterification and storage in the placenta.