Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology
Endocrine Abstracts (2008) 16 P643

ECE2008 Poster Presentations Reproduction (48 abstracts)

Simultaneous profile of prostanoids in pregnant preterm non labouring, term non labouring and term labouring myometrium using ESI-LC-MS

Joanne Durn 1 , Kay Marshall 1 , Anna Nicolaou 1 , Diane Farrar 2 , Peter O’Donovan 2 & David Woodward 3


1University of Bradford, Bradford, UK; 2Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK; 3Allergan Inc., Irvine, California, USA.


The aim of this study was to simultaneously profile, using electrospray ionization liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (ESI-LC-MS), prostanoids (PG) produced in samples of: pregnant preterm non labouring (PTNL); term non labouring (TNL): and term labouring (TL) myometrium.

Lower segment samples were obtained at Caesarean section from consenting pregnant women (18–36 years of age) at term (38–41 weeks) and preterm (33 weeks) gestation. Samples were transported to the laboratory and immediately bathed in physiological Kreb’s solution±indometacin (1 μM) for 1 h at 4 °C (samples without indometacin are referred to as untreated (U) or treated (T) if indometacin was present), prior to freezing and subsequent solid phase extraction. Extracts analysed using ESI-LC-MS were quantified using calibration lines made up of commercially available standards. Results are expressed as mean pg/mg protein (as estimated by Lowry method).

PTNL (n=1)TNL (n=6)TL (n=3)
In U-PTNL myometrium, the three most abundant PGs (ranked from highest to lowest) were: TXB2, 6-keto-PGF and PGD2In TNL(U+T) myometrium, the three most abundant PGs (ranked from highest to lowest) were: 6-keto-PGF, PGD2 and PGFIn TL (U+T) myometrium, the three most abundant PGs (ranked from highest to lowest) were: 6-keto-PGF, PGF and PGD2

Disruption of the thromboxane/prostacyclin balance may be implicated in the onset of preterm labour. Our data are consistent with the role of prostacyclin as a mediator of uterine quiescence at term and the role of PGF as an elicitor of myometrial contractions at term labour.

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