Parturition in the ewe is preceded by an increase in the synthesis of prostaglandins (PGs) by gestational tissues. To establish the uterine source of these PGs, placental cotyledons, fetal membranes and maternal uterine tissues were collected from ewes (n=6) at spontaneous parturition. Solubilised tissue extracts were prepared and analysed by Western blots using polyclonal antibodies to PG G/H synthase-1 and -2 (PGHS-1 and PGHS-2). PGHS-1 was expressed by all intrauterine tissues at term labour. Densitometric analysis of Western blot autoradiographs showed that the fetal membranes and maternal cervix contained the largest amounts of PGHS-1. PGHS-1 enzyme content of ovine amnion was significantly greater than that of either chorion or allantois (P<0.05). PGHS-1 protein content of myometrial, endometrial and cotyledonary tissue extracts was minimal. Formation of the PGHS-2 isozyme was confined to placental tissue at term labour. PGHS-2 protein levels in sheep placenta were significantly higher than those of PGHS-1 in all intrauterine tissues examined. This result supports the hypothesis that PGHS-2 is a major contributor to PG formation at term labour. To elucidate the developmental changes in PGHS-1 and PGHS-2 relative to labour onset, an experimental paradigm of glucocorticoid-induced delivery was used. Previous characterisation and validation of this labour model demonstrated that direct, transabdominal, intrafetal injection of the synthetic glucocorticoid betamethasone (5.7 mg in 1 ml aqueous vehicle) on day 131 of gestation induced labour onset in 56.6+/-0.8 h (mean+/-s.e.m.). As the latent period to induced-labour was known, the time course of enzyme formation could be ascertained. Sheep (n=20) were killed by barbiturate injection at various time intervals post-injection (0, 14, 28, 42 and 56 h). Tissue extracts collected at post-mortem examination were prepared and analysed by Western blots. PGHS-2 was induced in ovine cotyledon in a time-dependent fashion following glucocorticoid injection (P<0.05). There was a 12-fold increase in abundance between the time of betamethasone administration (0 h) and established labour (56 h). The PGHS-2 isozyme was not detected in any of the other tissues examined. In contrast, formation of the PGHS-1 isozyme did not change in relation to induced-labour in any of the intrauterine tissues. This finding is consistent with constitutive formation of PGHS-1. Previous studies have demonstrated a rise in PG production in association with glucocorticoid-induced labour and spontaneous delivery. The results of the present study indicate that this rise in PG production is due to increased formation of the PGHS-2 isozyme in ovine cotyledon. PGHS-2 appears to be induced by exogenous glucocorticoid administration and/or the mechanisms controlling ovine parturition. The role of PG formation by the fetal membranes is yet to be elucidated.

The aim of this study was to establish the effect of bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the release of Type II phospholipase-A2 (PLA2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) from late-pregnant human placental tissue incubated in vitro. Under basal conditions, immunoreactive Type II PLA2 and PGE2 were released from tissue explants in a time-dependent manner (up to 24 h, ANOVA, P<0. 0001, n=6). The release of these mediators was not associated with a loss of cell membrane integrity, as indicated by concentrations of the intracellular enzyme, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), in the incubation medium. Incubation of explants in the presence of LPS (0. 001-100 microg LPS/ml) significantly decreased PLA2 tissue content (P<0.02, n=6) and increased the accumulation of PLA2 and PGE2 in the incubation medium (P<0.0001, n=6). The data obtained in this study indicated that Type II PLA2 and PGE2 are released from term placenta under basal conditions and that LPS stimulated their release. The associated decrease in PLA2 tissue content is consistent with the hypothesis that LPS induces the release of stored PLA2. This study identifies one pathway by which products of bacterial infection may induce the release of a pro-inflammatory, extracellularly active PLA2 from intrauterine tissues that may promote the formation of phospholipid metabolites involved in the process of labour and delivery (e.g. the prostaglandins).

Although phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzymatic activities have been implicated in the regulation of phospholipid metabolism and eicosanoid formation in human gestational tissues, the role and contribution made by individual PLA2 isozymes has not been established. The aim of this study, therefore, was to determine the contribution made by Type II PLA2 to PLA2 enzymatic activity present in human term placenta. The experimental paradigm used to establish the contribution made by Type II PLA2 to total in vitro PLA2 enzymatic activity present in placental extracts was to remove Type II PLA2 by immunoaffinity extraction and then to quantify residual PLA2 enzymatic activity. Before immunoaffinity extraction, Type II PLA2 immunoactivity and total PLA2 enzymatic activity present in placental extracts averaged 28.0 +/- 10.0 ng/mg protein and 1040 +/- 367 pmol/h per mg protein (n = 3) respectively. After solid-phase immunoaffinity batch extraction of placental extracts, immunoreactive Type II PLA2 was not detectable by ELISA, and PLA2 enzymatic activity was decreased by 82 +/- 1% (P < 0.001). Residual (i.e. non-Type II) PLA2 enzymatic activity was further characterised by Western blot analysis and enzyme activity assay. The data obtained are consistent with a contribution by both cytosolic PLA2 and other secretory PLA2 isozymes (i.e. non-Type II) to residual PLA2 enzymatic activity. The results obtained in this study support the conclusion that Type II PLA2 is quantitatively the primary PLA2 isozyme that contributes to in vitro PLA2 enzymatic activity present in extracts of human term placenta, accounting for at least 80% of total activity. These data further support the involvement of this extracellularly active isozyme in the regulation of placental phospholipid metabolism and eicosanoid formation during late gestation.

The placental syncytiotrophoblast is the site for mineral and nutrient exchange across the maternal-fetal interface. It has been proposed that parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) is a key factor in the maintenance of a maternal-fetal calcium gradient. Using simultaneously prepared microvillous (maternal facing) and basal (fetal facing) syncytiotrophoblast membranes from term human placentae (n=8), we determined the relative contribution of PTH(1-34), PTHrP(1-34) and PTHrP(67-94) to the regulation of syncytiotrophoblast calcium efflux. The vesicles had correct right-side-out membrane orientation and specific markers validated the fractionation of microvillous and basal membrane vesicles. Calcium efflux was studied by preloading vesicles with calcium-45 in the presence of calcium and magnesium and then incubating the vesicles at 37 degrees C for 15 min with the peptides. In basal membranes, PTHrP(1-! 34) significantly stimulated calcium efflux at a dose of 12.5 nmol/l, whereas PTH(1-34)-stimulated efflux was significant at 50 nmol/l (P<0.05, ANOVA). This efflux was significantly reduced in the presence of the PTH/PTHrP receptor antagonist (PTHrP(7-34)). Midmolecule PTHrP(67-94) had no significant effect on basal membrane calcium efflux. PTH(1-34), PTHrP(1-34) or PTHrP(67-94) had no significant effects on MVM calcium efflux. This study, using the human syncytiotrophoblast in vitro membrane system, demonstrated that PTHrP(1-34) and PTH(1-34) stimulate calcium transport across the basal, but not microvillous, syncytiotrophoblast membrane vesicles, mediated via the PTH/PTHrP receptor.

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) is present in fetal and gestational tissues, in which its proposed roles include stimulation of epithelial growth and differentiation, vasodilatation of the uteroplacental vasculature, relaxation of uterine muscle and stimulation of placental calcium transport. The aim of this study was to determine whether the release of PTHrP from gestational tissue explants was tissue specific. In addition, PTHrP concentrations were measured in maternal plasma, umbilical artery and vein plasma, and amniotic fluid from term, uncomplicated pregnancies before the onset of labour. PTHrP was detected in low concentrations in the mother, fetus and placental tissue. Amniotic fluid had ten times the PTHrP concentration compared with that in the maternal or fetal circulations. Using late pregnant human gestational tissues in an in vitro explant system, we found that amnion over placenta, choriodecidua, reflected amnion, and placenta released PTHrP into culture medium in progressively greater amounts over 24 h (P<0.05). This release was not associated with a loss of cell membrane integrity, as indicated by measurement of the intracellular enzyme, lactate dehydrogenase, in the incubation media. After 24 h incubation, the fetal membranes released significantly (P<0.05) greater amounts of PTHrP than did the placenta (placenta 3. 7+/-0.5 pmol PTHrP/g protein). Amnion over placenta released significantly more PTHrP (139.3+/- 43.1 pmol PTHrP/g protein) than did reflected amnion (29.0+/-8.3 pmol PTHrP/g protein) (P<0.05). This study unequivocally demonstrated that human gestational tissues release PTHrP and it was concluded that the main contributors to PTHrP in amniotic fluid were the human fetal membranes, particularly amnion over placenta. Fetal membrane-derived and amniotic fluid PTHrP are proposed to have stimulatory effects on epithelial growth and differentiation in fetal lung, gut, skin and hair follicles and paracrine effects on placental vascular tone and calcium transport.