Myometrial Calcium and Potassium Channels Play a Pivotal Role in Chromium-Induced Relaxation in Rat Uterus: an In Vitro Study.

Hexavalent chromium, a well-known environmental toxicant, adversely affects female reproduction and results in abnormal implantation, fetal resorption, and reduction in litter size. Uterine myogenic activity is under control of number of receptors and ion channels, and it regulates fetal-implantation and feto-maternal communication. Despite several known adverse effects of chromium on female reproduction, direct action of chromium on myometrial activity is yet to be understood.

Functional and molecular characterization of endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent relaxant pathways in uterine artery of non-pregnant buffaloes.

Present study was undertaken to unravel the endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent relaxant pathways in uterine artery of non-pregnant buffaloes. Isometric tension of arterial rings was recorded using data acquisition system based polyphysiograph. Acetylcholine (ACh) produced endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation by releasing nitric oxide (NO), and inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) by L-NAME (300 μM) significantly (P < 0.