TY - JOUR
T1 - Acute inhibition of spontaneous uterine contractions by an estrogenic polychlorinated biphenyl is associated with disruption of gap junctional communication
AU - Tsai, Mei Ling
AU - Cesen-Cummings, Kimberley
AU - Webb, R. Clinton
AU - Loch-Caruso, Rita
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Shelly Coe and Howard Listopad for their assistance with these experiments, Vince Peterkin for assistance with graphics and statistics, Ruby Patterson for secretarial assistance, and Dr. Craig Harris for providing uterine tissue. The project described was conducted as partial fulfillment of M.-L. Tsai’s doctoral dissertation and was supported by grants to R. C. Webb (HL18575) from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and to R. Loch-Caruso (P42 ESO4911) and K. Cesen-Cummings (T32 ES07062) from the National Institute of Environmental Sciences of the NIH. Additional support was provided by the Laboratory Animal Cores of the Center for the Study of Reproduction which is supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH (HD18258). The contents of this manuscript are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of NIH.
PY - 1998/9
Y1 - 1998/9
N2 - An estrogenic polychlorinated biphenyl, 4-hydroxy-2',4',6'- trichlorobiphenyl (4-OH-TCB), inhibits oscillatory uterine contractions immediately. Because increased gap junction formation is associated with the development of synchronized uterine contractions at term, we examined whether the inhibitory effect of 4-OH-TCB on spontaneous oscillatory contractions was due to the disruption of gap junctional communication. The effect of 4-OH- TCB on gap junctional communication was determined by intercellular Lucifer yellow dye transfer in primary cultures of myometrial myocytes isolated from midgestation rats. Intercellular dye transfer was inhibited by 4-OH-TCB or 17β-estradiol in a concentration-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect of 4-OH-TCB on intercellular dye transfer was reversed by tetraethylammonium (TEA). To examine effects on uterine contraction, longitudinal uterine strips were excised from midgestation rats and placed in muscle baths for isometric force measurement. Spontaneous uterine oscillation was suppressed by 4-OH- TCB or 17β-estradiol. The inhibitory effects of 4-OH-TCB and 17β-estradiol on spontaneous oscillations were counteracted by TEA but were not affected by a calcium ionophore (A23187) or a calcium-dependent potassium channel blocker (apamin). These results suggest that the acute inhibition of spontaneous oscillatory contractions by an estrogenic polychlorinated biphenyl may result from the disruption of intercellular communication.
AB - An estrogenic polychlorinated biphenyl, 4-hydroxy-2',4',6'- trichlorobiphenyl (4-OH-TCB), inhibits oscillatory uterine contractions immediately. Because increased gap junction formation is associated with the development of synchronized uterine contractions at term, we examined whether the inhibitory effect of 4-OH-TCB on spontaneous oscillatory contractions was due to the disruption of gap junctional communication. The effect of 4-OH- TCB on gap junctional communication was determined by intercellular Lucifer yellow dye transfer in primary cultures of myometrial myocytes isolated from midgestation rats. Intercellular dye transfer was inhibited by 4-OH-TCB or 17β-estradiol in a concentration-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect of 4-OH-TCB on intercellular dye transfer was reversed by tetraethylammonium (TEA). To examine effects on uterine contraction, longitudinal uterine strips were excised from midgestation rats and placed in muscle baths for isometric force measurement. Spontaneous uterine oscillation was suppressed by 4-OH- TCB or 17β-estradiol. The inhibitory effects of 4-OH-TCB and 17β-estradiol on spontaneous oscillations were counteracted by TEA but were not affected by a calcium ionophore (A23187) or a calcium-dependent potassium channel blocker (apamin). These results suggest that the acute inhibition of spontaneous oscillatory contractions by an estrogenic polychlorinated biphenyl may result from the disruption of intercellular communication.
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U2 - 10.1006/taap.1998.8516
DO - 10.1006/taap.1998.8516
M3 - Article
C2 - 9772196
AN - SCOPUS:0031795346
SN - 0041-008X
VL - 152
SP - 18
EP - 29
JO - Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology
JF - Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology
IS - 1
ER -