title: Mast cells in cervical ripening--an immunohistochemical and biomechanical study in rats.
abstract: Cervical ripening purportedly involves different cell types and mediators normally associated with inflammatory reactions. The purpose of the present study was to determine the presence of mast cells in rat cervices during spontaneous and antigestagen induced ripening and to test whether a mast cell stabilizer was able to inhibit the antigestagen induced cervical ripening. Immunohistochemical examinations demonstrated an increased number of mast cells in pregnant and intrapartum rats. Furthermore, mast cell degranulation was found to be prominent after antigestagen treatment. The degranulation was completely abolished by co-treatment with the mast cell stabilizer. Biomechanical analysis showed that the mast cell stabilizer also inhibited the antigestagen induced cervical ripening to some extent. Thus, it is concluded that mast cell stabilizers might constitute a new approach in the treatment of preterm cervical ripening.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aarhus Kommunehospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Spanggaard
authors.forename: U B
authors.initials: UB
authors.lastname: Knudsen
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Uldbjerg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeziorska
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Woolley
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Danielsen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002867:Chromones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D002867:Chromones; C021947:FPL 55618