Open AccessLability of Human Decidual Cells. IN Vivo Effects of Hypertonic Saline
Author(s) -
Gustavii Björn,
Brunk Ulf
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.3109/00016347409162171
Subject(s) - decidua , decidual cells , hypertonic saline , in vivo , medicine , andrology , in vitro , acid phosphatase , tonicity , endocrinology , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , pregnancy , enzyme , fetus , biochemistry , placenta , genetics
. Recently, decidual cells, in contrast to trophoblastic cells, were found to be exceedingly fragile in vitro. In the present investigation the stability, in vivo, of decidual cells was studied by histological and cytochemical methods. The material was obtained either by vacuum aspiration or hysterotomy at various intervals following intrauterine injection of 20 % saline solution. Fifteen minutes following the injection, decidual cells in part of the decidua showed distinct degenerative changes and signs of leakage into the cell cytoplasm of the lysosomal “marker” enzyme acid phosphatase. The extent of these changes and the number of cells involved increased in parallel with the interval between the injection and the evacuation. The alterations in the decidual cells were of the same type and magnitude whether the hypertonic solution was injected intra‐amniotically or extra‐amniotically. The present findings further support the hypothesis that the mechanism by which hypertonic saline provokes abortion involves damage of the decidua and subsequent liberation of prostaglandins.