Abstract

CASTELLANOS-VILLEGAS, Ashley E.; HERNANDEZ-GARCIA, Jorge D.  and  VAZQUEZ-MARTINEZ, Edgar R.. Role of progesterone, estradiol and oxytocin hormones in myometrial function during pregnancy and labor. Perinatol. Reprod. Hum. [online]. 2023, vol.37, n.1, pp.31-38.  Epub June 05, 2023. ISSN 2524-1710.  https://doi.org/10.24875/per.22000013.

Labor is the transition from a state of inactivity and muscle relaxation to a state of muscle excitation, in which the muscular layer of the uterus (myometrium) performs increasingly coordinated contractions to deliver the fetus and expel the placenta. During the onset of labor, the myometrium undergoes a series of physiological, biochemical, and molecular changes, allowing the tissue to transition from a quiescent state to a contractile phenotype that will support labor. This is partly caused by the action of the hormones progesterone, estradiol, and oxytocin. In general, progesterone maintains the quiescence of the myometrium during pregnancy by decreasing the expression of proinflammatory molecules and contraction-associated proteins. In contrast, at the end of pregnancy, estradiol induces the expression of these molecules. For its part, oxytocin induces an increase in intracellular calcium concentration to carry out the contractions of uterine myocytes. The objective of this review is to present a summary of the molecular mechanisms involved in regulating myometrial cell activity through the hormones progesterone, estradiol and oxytocin, as well as to discuss the perspectives of this exciting area of research.

Keywords : Pregnancy; Labor; Myometrium; Estradiol; Progesterone; Oxytocin.