Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the effect of human relaxin (hRLX-2) on the active and passive biomechanical properties of cervical tissue in vitro. Material: Cervical samples were obtained from the middle part of the cervix in 22 nonpregnant women undergoing hysterectomy. Methods: The effect of hRLX-2 (10 −7 M) on the active biomechanical properties was studied on vasopressin (10 −8 M) induced smooth muscle contractions in an organ bath model. The effect on the passive biomechanical properties were studied after incubation of the strips for 48 h with hRLX-2 (10 −8 M and 10 −9 M). Subsequently, the specimens were stretched in a material testing machine until they broke. The load applied and the elongation were simultaneously recorded and the results translated into stress-strain curves. Results: hRLX-2 did not influence the vasopressin-induced contractility of cervical strips from nonpregnant women in this study. No synergistic effect of progesterone could be demonstrated. The passive biomechanical properties (tensile strength, extensibility, stiffness or failure energy) did not change significantly after relaxin incubation. The results obtained in vitro do not suggest an important physiological effect of relaxin on the human nonpregnant cervix.
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