Temporal response of uterine prostaglandins to estradiol treatment in the ovariectomized-prenant rat

Abstract

Previous studies in our laboratory have shown that 24 hours of estradiol treatment significantly enhanced uterine prostaglandin (PG)F, PGE and thromboxane B 2 (TxB 2) leels but had no effect on 6-Keto-PGF 1α (6KF) concentrations in ovariectomized-pregnant rats. One explanatior for the lack of an augmentation in 6KF was a temporal differences in response (i.e. 6KF increased and decreased within the 24 hour period). To test this possibility rats were ovariectomized on day 19 of pregnancy and sacrificed 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 hours after estradiol treatment. Uterine tissue and venous plasma were analyzed for PGs by radioimmunoassay. No significant (p > .05) alterations were detected for any of the uterine PGs at 0, 4, 8 and 12 hours. However, at 16 hours PGF, TxB 2 and PGE all showed significant (p > .05) increases (2.4, 3.4 and 2.1 fold, respectively) compared to 12 hours. In contrast, no significant augmentation in 6KF levels (p > .05, 1.3 fold) was detected at 16 compared to 12 hours although it was enhanced relative to 0 and 4 hours. In addition, PGF, TxB 2 and PGE, but not 6KF, showed further increases 24 hours after estradiol administration. No alterations were found (p > .05) for any of the PGs in uterine venous plasma at the time points studied. In summary, uterine PGF, PGE and TxB 2 net production appears to be more enhanced by estradiol treatment than 6KF at the time points studied. In addition, there is a slight, but significant, difference in the temporal response characteristics of 6KF compared to the other PGs. The data suggest that the dramatic increase in uterine PGF, PGE and TxB 2 levels at parturition in the rat are probably significantly related to enhanced levels of estradiol. However, the majority of the increase in uterine 6KF levels at labor is more likely caused by factors other than augmented plasma estradiol.