Experimental Studies (Animals): Acupuncture at Li4 Suppresses Oxytocin Induced Uterine Contractions in Pregnant Rats (N=6)

2001 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-138
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Pregnant Rats ◽  
Uterine Contractions

scholarly journals Curcuma longa aqueous extract possesses tocolytic potentials

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Aqueous Extract ◽  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Uterine Contraction ◽  
Preterm Labour ◽  
Curcuma Longa ◽  
Organ Bath ◽  
Pregnant Rats ◽  
Uterine Activity ◽  
Uterine Contractions

Introduction: Contraction of the uterus is an important physiological phenomenon that determines the functionality of the uterus for pregnancy and abortion. Curcuma longa, a member of the ginger family (Zingiberracaeae) has been used in traditional medicine because of its various therapeutic properties. Curcuma longa is believed to be beneficial to the female reproductive system by preventing unwanted uterine activity in early pregnancy or treat preterm labour. There are however, no scientific facts verifying the effects on the uterus to support its folklore use as tocolytic agent. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of aqueous extract of Curcuma longa rhizome and its possible mechanism of action on uterine contraction. Methods: The Isolated longitudinal uterine strips were dissected from non-pregnant rats, mounted vertically in an organ bath chamber, and exposed to the aqueous extract of Curcuma longa rhizome at a concentration of 25 - 200 mg/ml. The effects of the extract at a concentration of 50 mg/ml on spontaneous and oxytocin-induced (10 nmol/L) contractions were investigated. Results: The results of the study revealed that the extract significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited both spontaneous and oxytocin-induced uterine contractions (n = 10). The extract also inhibited oxytocin-induced contraction in the absence of exogenous calcium (n = 10). Significance: The result of this research has shown that Curcurma longa extract possesses or exerts tocolytic effect that delays uterine contraction in rats and this finding justify its folklore uses in traditional medicine to prevent unwanted uterine activity in early pregnancy or treat preterm labour.

scholarly journals Progesterone for the Prevention of Preterm Birth – an Update of Evidence-Based Indications

2019 ◽  
Vol 79 (08) ◽  
pp. 844-853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben-J. Kuon ◽  
Pauline Voß ◽  
Werner Rath
Keyword(s):  
Preterm Birth ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Cervical Length ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Uterine Contractions ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Singleton Pregnancies

AbstractThe prevention and treatment of preterm birth remains one of the biggest challenges in obstetrics. Worldwide, 11% of all children are born prematurely with far-reaching consequences for the children concerned, their families and the health system. Experimental studies suggest that progesterone inhibits uterine contractions, stabilises the cervix and has immunomodulatory effects. Recent years have seen the publication of numerous clinical trials using progestogens for the prevention of preterm birth. As a result of different inclusion criteria and the use of different progestogens and their methods of administration, it is difficult to draw comparisons between these studies. A critical evaluation of the available studies was therefore carried out on the basis of a search of the literature (1956 to 09/2018). Taking into account the most recent randomised, controlled studies, the following evidence-based recommendations emerge: In asymptomatic women with singleton pregnancies and a short cervical length on ultrasound of ≤ 25 mm before 24 weeks of gestation (WG), daily administration of vaginal progesterone (200 mg capsule or 90 mg gel) up until 36 + 6 WG leads to a significant reduction in the preterm birth rate and an improvement in neonatal outcome. The latest data also suggest positive effects of treatment with progesterone in cases of twin pregnancies with a short cervical length on ultrasound of ≤ 25 mm before 24 WG. The study data for the administration of progesterone in women with singleton pregnancies with a previous preterm birth have become much more heterogeneous, however. It is not possible to make a general recommendation for this indication at present, and decisions must therefore be made on a case-by-case basis. Even if progesterone use is considered to be safe in terms of possible long-term consequences, exposure should be avoided where it is not indicated. Careful patient selection is crucial for the success of treatment.

Maternal intermittent fasting during pregnancy: a translational research challenge for an important clinical scenario

2021 ◽  
Vol 135 (17) ◽  
pp. 2099-2102
Author(s):  
Dominique Darmaun
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Intermittent Fasting ◽  
Pregnant Rats ◽  
Ramadan Fasting ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Research Challenge

Abstract In volume 135, issue 11 of Clinical Science, Alkhalefah et al. report that, in pregnant rats, repeated, cyclic fasting, mimicking the fasting experienced by observant Muslim pregnant women during Ramadan, alters placental amino acid transport and increases the incidence of low birth weight. Though Muslim women are exempt, many observe Ramadan: &gt;500 million fetuses worldwide may be exposed to Ramadan fasting in each generation, and low birth weight increases the risk of developing chronic disease in the future adult. Several mechanisms, including altered circadian rhythm, maternal stress, undernutrition or compensatory overeating at the breaking of fast, could, in theory, impact fetal growth during Ramadan. Limitations of the experimental model obviously prevent direct extrapolation to humans. Whether Ramadan fasting indeed affect fetal growth therefore remains unclear, as there is no clear-cut evidence from epidemiological studies. The paper illustrates the need to design further case-controlled studies in large cohorts of women who fasted at various stages of pregnancy, compared to appropriately matched women who did not fast, as well as more experimental studies focused on this issue of public health relevance.

UPTAKE OF [14C]5-HYDROXYTRYPTAMINE BY THE UTERUS OF RATS TREATED WITH OESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE

1969 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-469
Author(s):  
E. KOREN ◽  
Y. PFEIFER ◽  
F. G. SULMAN
Keyword(s):  
Female Rats ◽  
Pregnant Rats ◽  
Oestrogen Treatment ◽  
Uterine Contractions ◽  
Serotonin System ◽  
Hormonal Balance ◽  
5 Ht Uptake ◽  
Higher Doses ◽  
Placental Extract

SUMMARY Radioactive [14C]5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin) creatinine sulphate was injected intrapleurally into female rats treated with oestrogen and/or progesterone which had received, immediately before the injection of 5-HT, homogenates of placenta, foetus, uterus or plasma, taken from pregnant rats on the 19th day of pregnancy. The placental homogenate produced a significant increase in 5-HT uptake by the myometrium, when the rats had been primed with moderate doses of oestrogen plus progesterone. Higher doses prevented the increased uptake, and oestrogen treatment alone did not induce 5-HT uptake. The highest level of 5-HT accumulation in the uterus was produced by placental extract after pretreatment with 0·5 mg. oestradiol plus 10 mg. progesterone/rat/day. These results suggest that the placenta contains a 'trans-serotonin' system which is dependent on the oestrogen—progesterone balance and serves to accumulate 5-HT in the placenta and myometrium. Shifts of the hormonal balance may contribute to the release of 5-HT and thus promote uterine contractions at any stage of pregnancy.

Oxytocin release during parturition in the pelvic-neurectomized rat

1986 ◽  
Vol 109 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Higuchi ◽  
K. Uchide ◽  
K. Honda ◽  
H. Negoro
Keyword(s):  
Vaginal Bleeding ◽  
The Other ◽  
Blood Levels ◽  
Pelvic Nerve ◽  
Pregnant Rats ◽  
Uterine Contractions ◽  
Still Births ◽  
Oxytocin Infusion ◽  
Oxytocin Release

ABSTRACT Blood levels of oxytocin during parturition in pelvic-neurectomized rats were determined by radioimmuno-assay. Four out of 29 pelvic-neurectomized rats completed parturition within 23 days of pregnancy. These rats exhibited an increase in blood levels of oxytocin during parturition similar to those of sham-operated control rats, but delivery took longer and there was a higher percentage of still-births. The rise in blood levels of oxytocin was smaller in the 16 rats in which the first fetus was expelled but where delivery did not end within day 23 of gestation than that in sham-operated controls. Levels did not increase in the other nine rats which failed to deliver the first fetus within 23 days of pregnancy. They did, however, show signs indicating delivery, such as stretch movements, vaginal bleeding and/or excretion of mucus within 23 days of gestation. Oxytocin infusion (2 mu./min) for 2–4 h increased uterine contractions in the pelvic-neurectomized rats but failed to reduce the percentage of still-births or the duration of delivery. Immuno-neutralization of circulating oxytocin by anti-oxytocin serum in intact pregnant rats resulted in a significant but much smaller prolongation of the duration of delivery compared with that observed in pelvic-neurectomized rats. The rise in blood levels of oxytocin during pregnancy may be induced, at least in part, by the Ferguson reflex via the pelvic nerve and may thus facilitate the process of delivery. A shortage of oxytocin secretion may not, however, be the main cause of the dystocia in pelvic-neurectomized rats. J. Endocr. (1986) 109,149–154

Parturition in the Rat

2006 ◽  
Vol 104 (6) ◽  
pp. 1257-1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwénaëlle Catheline ◽  
Bastien Touquet ◽  
Jean-Marie Besson ◽  
Marie-Christine Lombard
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Response ◽  
Epidural Morphine ◽  
Labor Pain ◽  
Relevant Model ◽  
Pregnant Rats ◽  
Ru 486 ◽  
Uterine Contractions ◽  
Labor Duration ◽  
Fos Protein ◽  
Spinal Segments

Background Pain during labor is a common and severe phenomenon, but its clinical management remains haphazard because its neurophysiology is poorly understood. In the current study, the authors evaluate the parturient rat as a relevant model to study the pharmacology of labor pain. Methods Control of birth timing in term pregnant rats was achieved by gavage with RU 486 (5 mg/kg) the day before the expected day of parturition. The behavioral events preceding the expulsion of the first pup were analyzed, and immunodetection of the c-Fos protein was used to evaluate the spinal neuronal activity at the lumbosacral level where genital and perineal inputs terminate. Results Hind limb and abdominal stretches occurred during labor (mean number, 57 +/- 10), arbitrarily defined as the time elapsed between the first stretch and the expulsion of the first pup (mean duration, 62 +/- 5 min). Subcutaneous oxytocin increased the frequency of stretches, accounting for the fact that these manifestations are linked to uterine contractions. Finally, epidural morphine (30 microg/10 microl) in oxytocin-treated rats, although resulting in no change of labor duration, significantly decreased the number of stretches (8 +/- 2 vs. 57 +/- 12 for epidural saline) and the number of c-Fos-positive neurons in the lumbosacral spinal segments (80 +/- 25 vs. 165 +/- 17 for epidural saline). Conclusions These results indicate that stretches during labor in the rat correspond to a behavioral response to nociception associated with uterine contractions and suggest that parturition in the rat could be a relevant model to investigate nociceptive mechanisms associated with parturition in women.

scholarly journals Inhibitory effects of isradipine on uterine contractions in pregnant rats

2015 ◽  
pp. 158-164
Author(s):  
Selahattin Kumru ◽  
Mehmet Ali Nalbant ◽  
Selim Kutluhan ◽  
Mete Ozcan
Keyword(s):  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
Pregnant Rats ◽  
Uterine Contractions

scholarly journals Clinically relevant concentrations of dexmedetomidine may reduce oxytocin-induced myometrium contractions in pregnant rats

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-458
Author(s):  
Dong Joon Kim ◽  
Young Joon Ki ◽  
Bo Hyun Jang ◽  
Seongcheol Kim ◽  
Sang Hun Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Complete Loss ◽  
Organ Bath ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Active Tension ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Concentration Dependent Manner ◽  
Pregnant Rats ◽  
Uterine Contractions ◽  
Sprague Dawley Rats ◽  
High Doses

Background: Recently, there have been some trials to use dexmedetomidine in the obstetric field but concerns regarding the drug include changes in uterine contractions after labor. We aimed to evaluate the effects of dexmedetomidine on the myometrial contractions of pregnant rats.Methods: In a pilot study, the contraction of the myometrial strips of pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats in an organ bath with oxytocin at 1 mU/ml was assessed by adding dexmedetomidine from 10-6 to 10-2 M accumulatively every 20 min, and active tension and the number of contractions were evaluated. Then, changes in myometrial contractions were evaluated from high doses of dexmedetomidine (1.0 × 10−4 to 1.2 × 10−3 M). The effective concentrations (EC) for changes in uterine contractions were calculated using a probit model.Results: Active tension and the number of contractions were significantly decreased at 10-3 M and 10-4 M dexmedetomidine, respectively (P < 0.05). A complete loss of contractions was seen at 10-2 M. Dexmedetomidine (1.0 × 10−4 to 1.2 × 10−3 M) decreased active tension and the number of contractions in a concentration-dependent manner. The EC95 of dexmedetomidine for inhibiting active tension and the number of contractions was 5.16 × 10-2 M and 2.55 × 10-5 M, respectively.Conclusions: Active tension of the myometrium showed a significant decrease at concentrations of dexmedetomidine higher than 10-3 M. Thus, clinical concentrations of dexmedetomidine may inhibit uterine contractions. Further research is needed for the safe use of dexmedetomidine in the obstetrics field.

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