Wray S
Physiology Laboratory, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Am J Physiol. 1993 Jan;264(1 Pt 1):C1-18. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.1993.264.1.C1.
Control of the smooth muscle in the uterus (the myometrium), is of vital importance during pregnancy and parturition. It is therefore understandable that several physiological mechanisms (neuronal, hormonal, metabolic, and mechanical) play a role in the control of myometrial activity. As our knowledge of the mechanism of uterine contraction has increased much in recent years, it is now possible to begin to explain, in some detail, how the contractile activity may be modulated. A detailed account of the mechanism of contraction in the uterus is therefore given, followed by examples of modulation of this process for each of the four physiological methods listed above. Examples have been chosen to illustrate either general or particular mechanisms of modulation. The goal of many working in this field is to understand these processes and thus prevent preterm labor and uterine dysfunction in term labor, which are still significant clinical problems.
子宫平滑肌（即子宫肌层）的控制在妊娠和分娩期间至关重要。因此，几种生理机制（神经、激素、代谢和机械机制）在子宫肌层活动的控制中发挥作用是可以理解的。近年来，随着我们对子宫收缩机制的了解大幅增加，现在有可能开始详细解释收缩活动是如何被调节的。因此，本文将详细阐述子宫收缩的机制，随后针对上述四种生理方法中的每一种，给出调节这一过程的示例。所选用的示例旨在说明调节的一般或特定机制。该领域许多研究人员的目标是了解这些过程，从而预防早产和足月分娩时的子宫功能障碍，这些仍是重大的临床问题。
