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Biology of Reproduction, Vol 25, 502-510, Copyright © 1981 by Society for the Study of Reproduction

Effects of Copper and Zinc on Rat Uterine Muscle Contraction and Rabbit Blastocyst Fluid Accumulation

P. VERDUGO 1, R. LATORRE 2, O. ALVAREZ 3, M. MEDEL 4, , and D. BENOS 2

1 Center for Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
2 Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Laboratory of Human Reproduction and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
3 Departamento de Biologia, Universidad de Chile, Santiago Chile
4 y Departamento de Fisiologia y Biofisica, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile


The effect of copper and zinc on the isometric contractility of isolated rat uterine muscle has been studied. Results show that concentrations of 2 x 105 M Cu++ produce a drastic potentiating effect on the contraction, elicit spontaneous contractile activity, and at concentrations higher than 8 x 10-5 M, produce spasmodic contracture of the muscle. Effects of Cu++ are reversible. Zinc, at concentrations of 2 to 4 x 10-5 M has a marked depressant effect on rat uterine contractility. Although the effect of Zn++ is not reversed by washing under our experimental conditions, Cu++ in equivalent concentrations can reverse the depressant effect of Zn++. The potentiating effect of Cu++ is not modified by Zn++ at equimolar concentrations. Rabbit blastocyst fluid accumulation is not altered by 2 to 5 x 10-5 M Cu++ or Zn++ concentrations. However, long-term incubation (>1 h) in solutions containing 5 x 10-5 M Cu++ results in complete degeneration of the embryo.

The relevance of these results in relation to decreased expulsion rate and increased contraceptive effect of CuTIUD is discussed.

Note:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Ms. Marie Blazonis for excellent technical assistance, and Ms. Diane Staples and Marianita Sanchez for typing the manuscript. We also thank Drs. K. J. Ryan and J. D. Biggers for reading a preliminary version of this manuscript. This work was supported by Population Council Grant M72.138, NIH Grant HD-12353, and by funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Submitted on April 2, 1981
Accepted on May 22, 1981






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Copyright © 1981 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction.