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Uterine Contractile Effect of an Oxytocin‐like Substance in the Human Placenta
Author(s) -
Nakazawa Kazumi,
Makino Tsunehisa,
Nagai Takashi,
Lizuka Rihachi,
Lshii Kunio
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
asia‐oceania journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1447-0756
pISSN - 0389-2328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1447-0756.1984.tb00702.x
Subject(s) - oxytocin , uterine contraction , placenta , endocrinology , contraction (grammar) , medicine , uterus , muscle contraction , chemistry , biology , fetus , pregnancy , genetics
The bioactivity of an oxytocin‐like substance in human term placental tissue was examined using rat uterine muscle obtained during diestrus. The human term placental tissue extract contracted the rat uterine muscle on a Magnus apparatus. Placental tissue extract incubated with oxytocin antiserum did not induce significant contraction of the muscle, whereas placental tissue extract incubated with normal rabbit serum induced a significant effect on the rat uterine muscle. Synthetic oxytocin caused contraction similar to that caused by placental tissue extract in rat uterine muscle. This contraction was also inhibited when synthetic oxytocin was incubated with anti‐oxytocin serum for 24 hr at 4°. Normal rabbit serum and anti‐oxytocin serum alone did not cause contraction. These results suggest that the oxytocin‐like substance in the human placenta may possess uterine contractile activity.