[The influence of oxytocin on the production of prostaglandins in vitro and in vivo].

In order to test the hypothesis that oxytocin not only leads to myometrial contractions but also to an increase of prostaglandin synthesis in decidua, human decidua, myometrium and amnion were incubated with and without oxytocin in a modified Krebs-bicarbonate-solution. The addition of oxytocin led to a significant increase of PG E- and PG F-synthesis in decidua and to a significant increase in PG-synthesis in amnion. In 15 women in whom labor was induced by intravenous infusion of oxytocin PGFM concentrations were measured before and during induction. PGFM levels rose in all women in whom induction was successful, whereas they stayed unchanged in those women in whom induction failed. These results support the hypothesis that oxytocin leads to an increase in prostaglandin production through specific receptors in decidua.