Collagen synthesis in the vaginal connective tissue of patients with and without uterine prolapse

Abstract

The insufficiency of connective tissue in pelvic relaxation was studied in five patients with uterine descent and in five age-related controls. Samples from vaginal fascias were first studied by histology. Fibroblast cultures started from each sample were analysed for their collagen synthesis and content of type I procollagen messenger RNAs (mRNAs). The cellularity of the fascias in histological specimens and the biosynthesis of collagen in fibroblast cultures decreased with increasing age in both groups. Fibroblasts grown from patients with uterine descent exhibited rates of collagen synthesis similar to or slightly higher than those from age-matched controls. The histological and biochemical changes observed in connective tissue of uterine descent are most likely related to the age and hormonal status of the patients. The findings suggest that uterine descent is not related to defects in the capacity of vaginal fibroblasts to synthesize or process procollagen.