Am J Perinatol 2017; 34(11): 1072-1077
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1603816
Original Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Relationship between Partial Uterine Cervical Tissue Excision and Preterm Birth: An Experimental Animal Study

Ki Hoon Ahn
1   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
,
Hyun Chul Jeong
1   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
,
Hee-youn Kim
2   Department of Medical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
,
Dahyun Kang
2   Department of Medical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
,
Soon-Cheol Hong
1   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
,
Geum Joon Cho
1   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
,
Min-Jeong Oh
1   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
,
Hai-Joong Kim
1   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

04 May 2017

09 May 2017

Publication Date:
07 June 2017 (online)

Abstract

Objective To investigate whether the uterine cervix excision is associated with preterm birth in female mice.

Study Design Sexually mature female C57BL/6 mice (n = 40) were randomly divided into four groups (A, sham; B, cervical excision; C, lipopolysaccharide, 100 µg intrauterine injection; and D, cervical excision + lipopolysaccharide injection), with 10 mice per group. Three weeks after cervical excision, timed mating was performed. On gestational day 16, lipopolysaccharide was injected between the first and second horns of the right uterus near the cervix. The uterine cervix was obtained after delivery and was histologically analyzed.

Results The mean gestational period in group D was significantly lower than those in the other groups (17, 19.5, 19, and 18.2 days in groups D, A, B, and C, respectively; p = 0.034). The cervical length was shorter in the cervical excision groups (p = 0.004). The muscle-to-collagen ratio in the proximal cervix was higher in group D (p = 0.037).

Conclusion Prepregnancy cervical excision and subsequent lipopolysaccharide injection showed a high rate of preterm birth, which was higher than the known lipopolysaccharide injection related preterm birth rate. Prepregnancy cervical excision appears to have additive effects with inflammation in inducing preterm birth, which are associated with the relative muscular component amount.

Note

This paper was partially presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Las Vegas, NE, January 23–28, 2017.


Funding

This research was financially supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea, funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning (2014R1A1A1002300) and a grant from Korea University Medical Center and Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea (grant no. K1620211). The funding source did not affect the results of this study.


 
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