“…Th e model consisted of BeWo b30 cells, derived from a human choriocarcinoma, grown on a transwell insert forming a cell layer that separates an apical compartment from a basolateral compartment. When grown on transwell inserts, BeWo b30 cells retain functional adenosine triphosphate binding cassette (ABC) transporters specifi c to the apical and basolateral membranes, such as P-glycoprotein (Pgp), breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) or multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP-1) (Utoguchi et al 2000, Atkinson et al 2003, Ceckova et al 2006, Evseenko et al 2006, Milane et al 2009, Mitra et al 2010. Furthermore, these cells express placental diff erentiation markers, such as human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) (Takeuchi et al 1990) and the major cytochrome P450 isoforms (CYP1A1 and 1A2) present in placenta (Avery et al 2003).…”