Intrauterine infection, which occurs in most early preterm births, triggers an immune response culminating in preterm labor. The authors hypothesize that blockade of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced immune responses by a toll-like receptor 4 antagonist (TLR4A) would prevent elevations in amniotic fluid (AF) cytokines, prostaglandins, and uterine contractility. Chronically catheterized rhesus monkeys at 128 to 147 days' gestation received intra-amniotic infusions of either (1) saline (n = 6), (2) LPS (0.15-10 microg; n = 4), or (3) TLR4A pretreatment with LPS (10 microg) 1 hour later (n = 4). AF cytokines, prostaglandins, and uterine contractility were compared using 1-way ANOVA with Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons. Compared with saline controls, LPS induced significant elevations in AF interleukin-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- alpha, PGE(2), PGF(2)(alpha), and uterine contractility (P < .05). In contrast, TLR4A pretreatment inhibited LPS-induced uterine activity and was associated with significantly lower AF IL-8, TNF-alpha, PGE(2), and PGF(2)( alpha) versus LPS alone (P < .05). Toll-like receptor antagonists, together with antibiotics, may delay or prevent infection-associated preterm birth.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2774271 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1933719107310992 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Montelukast potentiates the relaxing effect of nifedipine in the porcine myometrium.
Pol J Vet Sci
September 2024
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 13, 10-718 Olsztyn, Poland.
This study analysed the influence of montelukast (MON), a cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist, and nifedipine, an L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channel blocker, on the contractility of the porcine uterine smooth muscle. Myometrial strips were collected from the sexually immature (n=8), cyclic (12-14 days of the oestrous cycle; n=8) and pregnant (27-28 days of pregnancy; n=8) gilts and stimulated with a) MON or nifedipine at concentrations of 10-8-10-4 M and b) increasing concentrations of nifedipine after previous administration of MON at a concentration of 10-4 M. The changes in the tension, amplitude and frequency of contractions were determined with the Hugo Sachs Elektronik equipment for measuring isometric contractions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContractile responses of engineered human myometrium to prostaglandins and inflammatory cytokines.
APL Bioeng
December 2024
Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering, Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90089, USA.
Preterm labor is a prevalent public health problem and occurs when the myometrium, the smooth muscle layer of the uterus, begins contracting before the fetus reaches full term. Abnormal contractions of the myometrium also underlie painful menstrual cramps, known as dysmenorrhea. Both disorders have been associated with increased production of prostaglandins and cytokines, yet the functional impacts of inflammatory mediators on the contractility of human myometrium have not been fully established, in part due to a lack of effective model systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAssociations of blood pressure with white matter hyperintensities later in life; influence of short-term menopausal hormone therapy.
Menopause
January 2025
From the Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
Objective: To assess the association of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) in recently menopausal women with white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume later in life and determine whether short-term menopausal hormone therapy (mHT) modifies these associations.
Methods: Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study (KEEPS) was a multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled 4-year mHT trial (oral conjugated equine estrogens or transdermal 17β-estradiol). KEEPS continuation was an observational follow-up of the participants 10 years after the end of mHT.
Piezo1 overexpression in the uterus contributes to myometrium contraction and inflammation-associated preterm birth.
J Transl Med
December 2024
Department of Anesthesiology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 20, Section 3, South of Renmin Road, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.
Background: Preterm birth, a leading cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity, is often associated with inflammation and aberrant myometrial contractions. This study investigates the role of Piezo1, a mechanosensitive ion channel, in myometrium contraction and inflammation-associated preterm birth.
Methods: We employed Western blotting, Immunofluorescence, and Quantitative real-time PCR techniques to examine Piezo1 expression in uterine tissues.
Myometrial Shortening Stimulates Contractility: A Biomechanical Hypothesis for Labor Onset and Progression.
Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM
December 2024
Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama. Electronic address:
The mechanisms responsible for the onset and progression of labor remain uncertain. Myometrial contractile activity gradually increases until labor onset as a result of a number of intrinsic and hormonal changes, and this a believed to be the essential process responsible for labor. At the same time, the cervix slowly effaces and dilates throughout pregnancy, and these are the only physiologic parameters predictive labor onset.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!