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a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology/Perinatal Research Laboratories, and
b Department of Animal Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53715
c The Monroe Clinic, Monroe, Wisconsin 53566
Uterine artery endothelial production of the potent vasodilator, prostacyclin, is greater in pregnant versus nonpregnant sheep and in whole uterine artery from intact versus ovariectomized ewes. We hypothesized that uterine artery cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and/or COX-2 expression would be elevated during pregnancy (high estrogen and progesterone) and the follicular phase of the ovarian cycle (high estrogen/low progesterone) as compared to that in luteal phase (low estrogen/high progesterone) or in ovariectomized (low estrogen and progesterone) ewes. Uterine and systemic (omental) arteries were obtained from nonpregnant luteal-phase (LUT; n = 10), follicular-phase (FOL; n = 11), and ovariectomized (OVEX; n = 10) sheep, as well as from pregnant sheep (110–130 days gestation; term = 145 ± 3 days; n = 12). Endothelial and vascular smooth muscle (VSM) COX-1 protein levels and uterine artery endothelial cell COX-1 mRNA levels were compared. Using immunohistochemistry and Western analysis, the primary location of COX-1 protein was the endothelium; that is, we observed 2.2-fold higher COX-1 protein levels in intact versus endothelium-denuded uterine artery and a 6.1-fold higher expression in the endothelium versus VSM (P < 0.05). COX-2 protein expression was not detectable in either uterine artery endothelium or VSM. COX-1 protein levels were observed to be higher (1.5-fold those of LUT) in uterine artery endothelium from FOL versus either OVEX or LUT nonpregnant ewes (P < 0.05), with substantially higher COX-1 levels seen in pregnancy (4.8-fold those of LUT). Increases in uterine artery endothelial COX-1 protein were highly correlated to increases in the level of COX-1 mRNA (r2 = 0.66; P < 0.01) for all treatment groups (n = 6–8 per group), suggesting that increased COX-1 protein levels are regulated at the level of increased COX-1 mRNA. No change in COX-1 expression was observed between groups in a systemic (omental) artery. In conclusion, COX-1 expression is specifically up-regulated in the uterine artery endothelium during high uterine blood flow states such as the follicular phase and, in particular, pregnancy.
1 Supported by NIH HL49210, HL57653, HD33255, HL56702, WI Perinatal Foundation, and USDA 97352044912 and 960177. This study was presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation, Atlanta, GA, March 11–14, 1998.
2 Correspondence: Ronald R. Magness, University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Perinatal Research Laboratories, Meriter Hospital/Park-7E, 202 S. Park Street, Madison, WI 53715. FAX: 608 257 1304; rmagness{at}facstaff.wisc.edu
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