Placental angiogenesis is a pivotal process that establishes fetomaternal circulation, ensures efficient maternofetal exchange, plays a key mechanistic role in the elaboration of the placental villous tree, and contributes to the overall development of the placenta throughout pregnancy. Failure in these processes is tightly linked to the development of placental pathologies such as preeclampsia (PE), early pregnancy loss, and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). It is now well established that a close relationship exists between embryonic development and the degree of placental angiogenesis. A key discovery in the investigation on placental pathologies was the understanding that major phenotypes of PE are associated with dysregulations in antiangiogenic factors. To date, numerous insults such as maternal chemical dependency including tobacco smoke, metal element toxicity, tumorigenesis, and oxidative stress have been shown to influence pregnancy outcome by directly affecting placental angiogenesis. In the last decade, compelling advances highlighted the central role of mesenchymal stem cells/multipotent stromal cells in placental angiogenesis and brought new insights into the understanding of the fine mechanisms underlying placental angiogenesis. Also, we know now how to measure the processes of placental angiogenesis, thanks to the innovative methods developed by specialized groups in the field of placentology.

We particularly take an interest in manuscripts that report relevance of factors that regulate angiogenesis to improve prognosis, monitoring, and therapy of placental pathologies. Reviews that summarize one or different aspects around placental angiogenesis are welcome. Furthermore, papers dealing with criteria for optimal PA measurement for clinical guidance would be of great interest. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Placental angiogenesis and reproductive medicine
• Molecular aspects of placental angiogenesis
• Investigation of placental angiogenesis: Methods of measurement
• Angiogenesis in tumour in the placenta
• Metal elements in the control of placental angiogenesis
• Smoking and placental angiogenesis
• Influence of oxidative stress on placental angiogenesis
• Trophoblast–derived angiogenic factors in normal and placental pathologies
• Role of mesenchymal stem cells/multipotent stromal cells in placental angiogenesis
• Circulating angiogenic molecules as clinical biomarkers in the predictions of pregnancy complications

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