Immunocytochemical localization of catechol-O-methyltransferase in the pregnant rat uterus.

Light microscopic immunocytochemical observations of catechol-O-methyl-transferase (COMT) localization in the pregnant rat uterus were made with a specific antibody to soluble rat liver COMT and the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique. The changes in cellular localization of COMT were followed from the onset of pregnancy to 12 h after delivery of the last fetus. COMT first appeared on day 5 of pregnancy in endometrial epithelial cells of the uterus. On day 7, COMT appeared in the decidual cells on the antimesometrial side of the uterus close to the implanting blastocyst. Two morphologically distinct, COMT-positive, decidual cells were observed: polygonal cells and stellate cells. After parturition, COMT-positive decidual cells remained in the decidua basalis. The possible physiological roles of COMT in the pregnant uterus are discussed.