Ciray H N, Güner H, Håkansson H, Tekelioglu M, Roomans G M, Ulmsten U
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uppsala University, Sweden.
Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1995 Aug;74(7):497-504. doi: 10.3109/00016349509024378.
Some structures in the human myometrium, namely; caveolae, extracellular space and gap junctions were quantified in tissues from nonpregnant women, women who were not in labor, and women in spontaneous labor or oxytocin-induced labor, in order to reveal morphologic differences that would contribute to explaining the events leading to labor. Transmission electron micrographs taken from tissues from twenty-four pregnant and ten nonpregnant women were studied.
Differences were observed in cell growth which was accompanied by enlargement of the extracellular space, and in gap junctions. Gap junctions were demonstrated in nonpregnant women, and even in one postmenopausal woman. Their frequency and size increased gradually between groups of pregnant women in the order of non-labor, oxytocin-induced labor and spontaneous labor. The increase in size of the junctions was less than the increase in number.
Gap junctions are most frequently found in human myometrial cells in spontaneous labor, which strongly suggests a role for these structures in the termination of pregnancy. The effect of oxytocin on the appearance of gap junctions was negligible; hence, the contribution of oxytocin to establish myometrial contractile synchronicity is thought to be minor. Caveolae are probably not relevant for the initiation of labor as their distribution did not differ between the groups.
为揭示有助于解释分娩相关事件的形态学差异，对非孕女性、未临产女性以及自然分娩或催产素引产女性的子宫肌层中的一些结构，即小凹、细胞外间隙和缝隙连接进行了定量分析。研究了取自24名孕妇和10名非孕妇组织的透射电子显微镜照片。
观察到细胞生长伴有细胞外间隙扩大以及缝隙连接方面的差异。在非孕女性甚至一名绝经后女性中都发现了缝隙连接。在未临产、催产素引产和自然分娩的孕妇组中，缝隙连接的频率和大小逐渐增加。连接大小的增加小于数量的增加。
缝隙连接在自然分娩的人类子宫肌层细胞中最为常见，这强烈表明这些结构在妊娠终止中起作用。催产素对缝隙连接出现的影响可忽略不计；因此，催产素对建立子宫肌层收缩同步性的作用被认为较小。小凹可能与分娩发动无关，因为它们在各组之间的分布没有差异。
