Parturition II Flashcards
Characteristics of smooth muscle
Shortening with contractions
Forces in multiple directions
Not organized as skeletal muscle
Greater multidirectional force
The interaction of myosin and actin activates
ATPase which hydrolyses ATP and generate force
Uterine relaxation
Maintained by
Increase Myocyte cAMP
Uterine relaxation
Activates protein kinase A to promote phosphodiesterase activity with de phosphorylation of
Myosin light chain kinase
Actin assumes a fibrillar form, and calcium enters the cell to combine with calmodulin to form complexes.
Uterine contraction
The complexes activate MLCK to bring about the phosphorylation of the myosin light chains
Uterine contraction
Generates ATPase activity to cause sliding of myosin over the actin fibrils, which is a uterine contractor
Uterine contraction
Agents that promote contraction act on myometrial cells to increase intracellular cytosolic calcium concentration.
Intracellular calcium
Conditions that decrease calcium and increase intracellular concentration of cAMP and cGMP ordinarily promote
Uterine contraction
Cellular signals that control myometrial contraction and relaxation can effectively transferred between cells through intercellular junctional channels
Myometrial gap junction
Proteins of gap junction
Connexon 1 and 2
Cell surface receptors
Categorized into 3
G protein linked - activate phospholipase C
Ion channel linked
Enzyme linked
Cell surface receptors are transferred to the uterus by either
Endocrine- via maternal blood
Paracrine - near target cell
Autocrine - itself
Phase 1
Uterine quiescence and cervical competence
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
Factors
Estrogen and progesterone
Increase in cAMP
Generation of cGMP
Modification of myometrial cell ion channels
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
Components of a broader based molecular system that implements and maintains uterine quiescence.
Progesterone
Estrogen
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
Inhibit parturition
Maintains uterine quiescence by various mechanism that cause decreased expression of the contraction associated proteins (prostaglandin, oxytocin, connexin)
Progesterone
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
Directly precedes progression of phase 1 into phase 2 of parturition
Pretogestrone withdrawal
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
Promote parturition
Estrogen
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competence
Would promote myometrial gap junction thereby, promoting uterine contraction
Estrogen
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
A number are associated with Gas mediated activation of adenyl cyclase and increased levels of cAMO are present in myometrium
G protein Coupled Receptors
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnc
Mediate gas stimulated increases in adenylyl cyclase, increased levels of cAMP, and myometrial cell relaxation
Beta adrenoreceptors
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
Has been demonstrated in myometrial smooth muscle and blood vessels.
LH and HCG receptors
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
Acts to activate adenyly cyclase by way of a plasma membrane receptors Gas linked system
Chorionic gonadotropin
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
This decreases contraction frequency and force and decreases the number of tissue specific myometrial cell gap junctions.
High circulating levels of HCG may be one mechanism causing quiescence
LH and HCG receptor
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
Peptide hormone that is a member of insulin like GF
Relaxin
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
Relaxin originate exclusively from the
Corpus luteum
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
Relaxin greates amount found between
8-12 weeks gestation
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
Mediates activation of adenylyl cyclase
Effect on cervical softening
Promote myometrial quiescence
Relaxin
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
Synthesized in the placenta and hypothalamus
CRH
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
CRn increase during the
Final 6-8 weeks of normal pregnancy
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
CRH has dual effect
Utero relaxant at first
Utero contraction later
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
These interact with a family of different G protein coupled receptors, several of which are expressed in myometrial
Prostaglandin
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
Prostaglandin usually considered as
Uterotonins
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
Prostaglandins with diverse effects
Prostacyclin E2 - relaxation
Prostacyclin F2- contraction
Phase 1 Uterine Quiescence and Cervical Competnce
Prostaglandin produced using plasma membrane derived arachidonic acid, which usually is released by the action of the
Phospholipase A2 or C