title: Glycosaminoglycan distribution in the rat uterine cervix during the estrous cycle.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the amount of glycosaminoglycans in the uterine cervix during each phase of the rat estrous cycle.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on vaginal smears, forty female, regularly cycling rats were divided into four groups (n = 10 for each group): GI - proestrous, GII - estrous, GIII - metaestrous and GIV - diestrous. Animals were sacrificed at each phase of the cycle, and the cervix was immediately removed and submitted to biochemical extraction and determination of sulfated glycosaminoglycans and hyaluronic acid. The results were analyzed by ANOVA followed by the Bonferroni post-hoc test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The uterine cervix had the highest amount of total sulfated glycosaminoglycans and dermatan sulfate during the estrous phase (8.90 +/- 0.55 mg/g of cetonic extract, p<0.001; and 8.86 +/- 0.57 mg/g of cetonic extract, p<0.001). In addition, there was more heparan sulfate at the cervix during the proestrous phase (0.185 +/- 0.03 mg/g of cetonic extract) than during any other phase (p<0.001). There were no significant changes in the concentration of hyaluronic acid in the uterine cervix during the estrous cycle.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that the amount of total sulfated glycosaminoglycans may be influenced by hormonal fluctuations related to the estrous cycle, with dermatan sulfate and heparan sulfate being the glycosaminoglycans most sensitive to hormonal change.
authors.affiliation: Departmento de Morfologia e Genética, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jairo Jose Matozinho
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Cubas
authors.forename: Ricardo Santos
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Simões
authors.forename: Ricardo Martins
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Oliveira-Filho
authors.forename: Manuel Jesus
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Simões
authors.forename: Edmund C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Baracat
authors.forename: José Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Soares
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000737:chemistry*; D003871:Dermatan Sulfate / Q000032:analysis; D030762:Estrous Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006497:Heparan Sulfate / Q000032:analysis; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D003871:Dermatan Sulfate; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D006497:Heparan Sulfate; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid