Ogawa M, Hirano H, Tsubaki H, Kodama H, Tanaka T
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akita University School of Medicine, Japan.
Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1998 Jul;179(1):105-10. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9378(98)70258-3.
The purpose of our study was (1) to explain the relationship between levels of inflammatory cytokines and levels of hyaluronic acid in cervical mucus of pregnant women and (2) to investigate whether cytokines promote hyaluronic acid production by human cervical fibroblasts in vitro.
The concentration of hyaluronic acid, interleukin-1beta, and interleukin-8 were measured in cervical mucus of pregnant women, and hyaluronic acid production by cytokine-treated (interleukin-1beta and interleukin-8) cultured fibroblasts was measured.
Hyaluronic acid concentrations in the mucus of pregnant women with threatened premature labor were higher than in mucus of normal pregnant women (P < .05). Correlations were found between hyaluronic acid concentrations and interleukin-1beta (P = .018) and interleukin-8 (P = .003) concentrations in cervical mucus. Cytokines (especially interleukin-8) stimulated hyaluronic acid production by cultured cervical fibroblasts.
Cytokines induce hyaluronic acid production by human cervical fibroblasts, which may promote cervical ripening.
