Journal of Clinical and Molecular Endocrinology

The Preliminary Study About the Involvement of Relaxine in Adverse Effect of Polychlorinated Biphenyls on Bovine Myometrial Contractions

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of synthetic xenobiotics, which were used in lots of industrial applications. Two individual congers (PCB 153 and PCB 77) belong to the most prominent environmental contaminations among PCBs, but they have opposite type of configuration and therefore they can exert a different way of action. Since PCBs increased the force of myometrial contractions, in this work, their effect on myometrial sensitivity on inhibitor of myometrial contractions (relaxine, RLX) was studied.

Bovine myometrial cells and strips, and luteal cell at 4-8 month of pregnancy, were obtained accidentally in commercial abattoir. They were treated by PCB 153 and PCB 77 and mRNA expression of RLX receptor in myometrial cells and contractions of myometrial strips as well as the secretion of progesterone (P4) and oxytocin (OT) from luteal cells, were measured under their effect.

Both studied congeners decreased (P<0.05) the mRNA expression of RLX receptor in myometrium. Admittedly, both PCB 77 and 153 increased (P<0.05) the basal force of contractions, while RLX showed any effect on myometrial contractions. Studied PCBs increased also (P<0.05) secretion of P4 and OT from luteal cells.

It is suggested that PCBs can decreased the sensitivity of myometrium on RLX but their direct effect on RLX function have to be further investigated.

Author(s):

Michał Hubert Wrobel

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