Abstract
Objective To estimate the effects of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) and E2 (PGE2) on myometrial contractility
and structure in vitro.
Study Design Myometrial strips from 18 women were incubated with PGE1 (10−5 mol/L), PGE2 (10−5 mol/L), or solvent (CTR) for up to 360 minutes in organ chambers for isometric tension
recording. The area under the contraction curve, total collagen content, and percentage
of the area covered by connective tissue were calculated at various time periods.
Results PGE1 significantly increased in vitro myometrial contractility up to 90 minutes when
compared with PGE2 and CTR (p < 0.01) and up to 180 minutes as compared with PGE2 (p < 0.05). After 360 minutes, CTR and PGE1 samples had lower total collagen content
and area covered by connective tissue than PGE2 (p < 0.01).
Conclusion The effects of prostaglandins on the uterus cannot be solely explained by contractility.
Treatment with PGE1 significantly increased myometrial contractions and decreased
both total collagen content and the area covered by connective tissue. Such findings
may explain the higher rates of vaginal delivery, tachysystole, and uterine rupture
associated with PGE1 use.
Keywords
prostaglandin E1 - prostaglandin E2 - collagen - uterine contractility - organ chamber