Tsutsumi O, Oka T
Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1987 Jan;156(1):241-4. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(87)90245-6.
The concentration of epidermal growth factor in the submandibular gland and plasma of female mice increased substantially during pregnancy. Pregestational sialoadenectomy (removal of the submandibular glands) attenuated the rise in plasma epidermal growth factor during gestation and reduced the number of mice completing a term pregnancy by approximately 50%. Epidermal growth factor replacement therapy given to these mice during pregnancy improved the outcome of complete pregnancy to 86%. The administration of anti-epidermal growth factor antiserum in a daily dose of 50 or 100 microliter to sialoadenectomized pregnant mice increased the percentages of abortion to 67 and 100, respectively. These results suggest that epidermal growth factor may be necessary for the normal course of pregnancy.
雌性小鼠在怀孕期间，下颌下腺和血浆中的表皮生长因子浓度大幅增加。妊娠前进行唾液腺切除术（切除下颌下腺）可减弱妊娠期血浆表皮生长因子的升高，并使足月妊娠的小鼠数量减少约50%。在这些小鼠怀孕期间给予表皮生长因子替代疗法，可将足月妊娠的成功率提高到86%。对数只接受过唾液腺切除的怀孕小鼠每日注射50或100微升抗表皮生长因子抗血清，流产率分别增加到67%和100%。这些结果表明，表皮生长因子可能是正常妊娠过程所必需的。
