			Home About us Contact

Myometrial Contractility (myometrial + contractility)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%
Life Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Regulation of Human Myometrial Contractility During Pregnancy and Labour: Are Calcium Homeostatic Pathways Important?

EXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2001
Rachel M. Tribe
If we are to develop new strategies for the treatment and management of preterm and dysfunctional term labour, it is imperative that we improve current understanding of the control of human uterine activity. Despite many studies of animal pregnancy, there is a paucity of knowledge relating to the complex control of human myometrium during pregnancy. It is hypothesized that human myometrium is relatively quiescent during the majority of pregnancy and that as term approaches there is cascade of molecular events that prepare the uterus for labour. This review will consider the cellular mechanisms involved in the regulation of human myometrial activity and the modulation of these by hormonal and mechanical signals. In particular, the contribution of calcium homeostatic pathways to the control of human myometrial contractility during gestation will be discussed. [source]

Influence of progesterone on myometrial contractility in pregnant mice treated with lipopolysaccharide

JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY RESEARCH (ELECTRONIC), Issue 6 2007
Hiroshi Anbe
Abstract Aim:, To evaluate the effect of progesterone on interleukin (IL)-6, prostaglandin (PG) E2 and nitric oxide (NO) metabolite (NOx) production and contractile activity by NO in pregnant mice treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Methods:, Pregnant C57BL mice on day 14 of gestation were killed 6 h after i.p. injection of LPS (400 ,g/kg) or vehicle. Progesterone (2 mg) was subcutaneously injected 2 h before LPS treatment. Uterine rings were equilibrated in Krebs-Henseleit solution (37°C) bubbled with 20% O2 and 5% CO2 (pH 7.4) for sampling and isometric tension recording. IL-6, PGE2 and NOx productions were measured from the bathing solution. Changes in spontaneous contractile activity in response to cumulative concentrations of l -arginine, diethylamine/nitric oxide (DEA/NO, the NO donor), and 8-bromo-cGMP (8-br-cGMP) were compared. Integral contractile activity over 10 min after each concentration was calculated and expressed as percentage change from basal activity. Statistical analyses were performed using one-way anova followed by Dunnett's test (significance was defined as P < 0.05). Results:, Interleukin-6 (34.7 ± 6.0 pg/g tissue), PGE2 (66.8 ± 6.7 pg/g tissue) and NOx (51.0 ± 5.4 pmol/2 mL/g wet tissue) production were significantly stimulated by LPS treatment (138.2 ± 23.2, 147.0 ± 29.0, 98.6 ± 16.2, respectively; P < 0.05). l -arginine, DEA/NO and 8-br-cGMP concentration-dependently inhibited spontaneous contractions in uterine rings both in LPS-treated and -untreated animals. Treatment with LPS significantly attenuated the maximal inhibition induced by l -arginine, DEA/NO and 8-br-cGMP in uterine rings from pregnant mice. Progesterone significantly decreased the levels of IL-6 production (74.9 ± 12.1, P < 0.05), but not PGE2 and NOx production, and contractile responses by l -arginine, DEA/NO and 8-br-cGMP. Conclusions:, The administration of LPS is associated with increases in IL-6, PGE2 and NO, and these increases may or may not have a role to play in LPS-induced preterm labor. Progesterone reduced the LPS-induced increase in IL-6 production and this may be one of the ways that progesterone reduces the risk of preterm labor. [source]

Labour pains: giving birth to new mechanisms for the regulation of myometrial contractility

THE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 10 2009
Kenneth L. Byron
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

Beta-3 versus beta-2 adrenergic agonists and preterm labour: in vitro uterine relaxation effects

BJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 6 2001
Michael C. Dennedy
Objective 1. To investigate the effects of the selective beta-3 adrenoreceptor agonist, BRL 37344, on human pregnant myometrial contractility in vitro. 2. to compare these effects with those of the beta-2 adrenoreceptor agonist, ritodrine. Methods Isometric tension recording was performed under physiological conditions in isolated myometrial strips from biopsies obtained at elective caesarean section. Following pre-incubation with oxytocin (10 -9 M), the effects of cumulative additions of BRL 37344 or ritodrine (10 -8,10 -3.5 M) on myometrial contractility were investigated. Results were expressed as -log EC50 (pD2) and mean maximal inhibition achieved for both drug compounds. Results BRL 37344 exerted a concentration dependant relaxant effect on myometrial contractions in all strips exposed [pD2, 7.26 (0.48) (SEM); mean maximal inhibition 61.98 (4.89%); n= 6]. Similarly, ritodrine exerted a concentration dependant inhibition of myometrial contractility in all strips exposed [pD2= 7.40 (0.28); mean maximal inhibition 59.49 (3.97%); n= 6]. There was no significant difference between calculated pD2 values (P= 0.65) or mean maximal inhibition achieved (P= 0.79). Conclusions The beta-3 adrenoreceptor agonist BRL 37344 induced relaxation of human myometrial contractions with similar potency to that of the most commonly used tocolytic agent ritodrine. This raises the possibility that the novel beta-3 adrenoreceptor agonists may have potential as therapeutic agents for human preterm labour. In view of their reported reduced cardiovascular side effects their potential clinical use requires further evaluation. [source]