HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free All Versions of this Article: 99/3/1157    most recent 00158.2005v1 Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (3) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mignot, T.-M. Articles by Vaiman, D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mignot, T.-M. Articles by Vaiman, D.

Corticotropin-releasing hormone effects on human pregnant vs. nonpregnant myometrium explants estimated from a mathematical model of uterine contraction

¹Génétique et Epigénétique des Pathologies Placentaires, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U. 709, IFR Alfred Jost, Université René Descartes Paris V, ²Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique Hôpital Saint-Antoine, and Département de Génetique Animale, INRA Paris, France

Submitted 8 February 2005 ; accepted in final form 26 April 2005

In this paper, we applied a new theoretical model of uterine contraction to a large panel of human pregnant and nonpregnant myometrial strips, treated or not by corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH). This model is based on a fine analysis of the contraction curves. This analysis yielded four mathematical parameters (beta, theta, tau 1, and tau 2) related to excitability, duration of plateau phase, and time constants for relaxation describing, respectively, the different portions of the contraction cycle. This leads to specific differences in spontaneous contractile activity between pregnant and nonpregnant states. The relaxing effect of CRH in the pregnant state is presumably correlated with the origin of the strips (the lower uterine segment). Besides our observation of a specific receptor-dependent relaxing effect of CRH in both pregnant and nonpregnant myometrium, we could identify highly significant effects at given CRH concentration for beta in nonpregnant myometrium and for theta, tau 1, and tau 2 in pregnant myometrium. In addition, highly significant differences were found between pregnant and nonpregnant myometrium. Also, we discovered a strong correlation between theta and tau 1, specifically in the pregnant state. Although the biochemical signification of these results remains to be elucidated, they contribute to emphasize the complex network of CRH action at the myometrial level. Furthermore, our approach could pave the way toward a better analysis of the efficacy of the uterine contractile behavior.

myometrium; pregnancy; contraction; mathematical modeling

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. K. Tyson, R. Smith, and M. Read Evidence that Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Modulates Myometrial Contractility during Human Pregnancy Endocrinology, December 1, 2009; 150(12): 5617 - 5625. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Markovic, M. Vatish, M. Gu, D. Slater, R. Newton, H. Lehnert, and D. K. Grammatopoulos The Onset of Labor Alters Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Type 1 Receptor Variant Expression in Human Myometrium: Putative Role of Interleukin-1{beta} Endocrinology, July 1, 2007; 148(7): 3205 - 3213. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]