Fuentes A, Spaziani E P, O'Brien W F
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of South Florida, Tampa 33612, USA.
Prostaglandins. 1996 Oct;52(4):261-7. doi: 10.1016/s0090-6980(96)00088-3.
Prostaglandins production rises dramatically during term and preterm labor. The source of this production is thought to be the fetal membranes and maternal decidua. The enzyme responsible for the conversion of arachidonic acid to the prostaglandins and related endoperoxides is variously known as prostaglandin synthase or cyclooxygenase (COX). An inducible form of this enzyme, COX-2, has been described in several tissues. The purpose of this study was to investigate a possible role for COX-2 in labor by comparing the COX-2 content in amnion and decidua from laboring and non-laboring patients.
Fetal membranes from seven normal labor and ten elective cesarean sections at term were collected immediately following delivery. The maternal age and gravity were similar between the groups. The amnion and decidua were identified, washed in sterile saline, frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored in -70 degrees C. COX-2 expression was determined using Western Blot analysis with a purified COX-2 antibody. A scanning densitometer was used to quantify the bands. Results were expressed as mean +/-S.D. ng/50 micrograms protein.
The concentration of COX-2 in amnion of laboring women showed a twofold increase (240.0 +/- 17.6 vs. 120.7 +/- 5.1) compared to the non-labored group (p < 0.05). The concentration in the decidua showed no significant increase during labor (38.1 +/- 7.5 vs. 26.4 +/- 2.1, p > 0.05).
We evaluated the role of COX-2 in normal labor. Our study demonstrates that COX-2 is significantly induced in the amnion following spontaneous labor. These findings suggest that the induction of amnion COX-2 may be involved in the process of human labor.
在足月分娩和早产期间，前列腺素的产生会急剧增加。这种产生的来源被认为是胎膜和母体蜕膜。负责将花生四烯酸转化为前列腺素及相关内过氧化物的酶，被称为前列腺素合酶或环氧化酶（COX）。该酶的一种可诱导形式，即COX - 2，已在多种组织中被描述。本研究的目的是通过比较分娩和未分娩患者羊膜和蜕膜中COX - 2的含量，来研究COX - 2在分娩中可能发挥的作用。
在分娩后立即收集了7例足月自然分娩和10例足月择期剖宫产患者的胎膜。两组患者的产妇年龄和产次相似。识别出羊膜和蜕膜，用无菌盐水冲洗，在液氮中冷冻，并储存在 -70℃。使用纯化的COX - 2抗体通过蛋白质免疫印迹分析来测定COX - 2的表达。使用扫描密度计对条带进行定量。结果以平均±标准差ng/50微克蛋白质表示。
与未分娩组相比，分娩妇女羊膜中COX - 2的浓度增加了两倍（240.0±17.6 vs. 120.7±5.1）（p < 0.）。分娩期间蜕膜中的浓度没有显著增加（38.1±7.5 vs. 26.4±2.1, p > 0.05）。
我们评估了COX - 2在正常分娩中的作用。我们的研究表明，自然分娩后羊膜中COX - 2被显著诱导。这些发现表明，羊膜COX - 2的诱导可能参与了人类分娩过程。
