ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY OF HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE SMOOTH MUSCLE

早产与分娩是一个深刻的民族问题 重要性 作为临床医生，我们在预防和 对早产的治疗缺乏了解， 分娩开始的微观细节， 劳动力和可能的干预点。 为了定义人体电生理学的细节， 生殖平滑肌和药物作用机制， 我们建议在这里进行微电极研究孤立的 妊娠人子宫肌细胞及其培养物。 用于酶分散和分离个体的方案 将测定来自妊娠人子宫肌层的肌细胞。 在妊娠人血清存在下培养的细胞也将 来确定怀孕激素的影响 电生理参数 在过去的十年中，膜片钳技术已经被 被开发和利用来研究许多类型的细胞，包括 神经、心脏和平滑肌。 膜片钳是一种 一种允许各种类型测量的专门技术 要执行。 使用“全电池”电压钳， 特定离子对细胞兴奋性的贡献将是 测定 膜片钳技术的一个强大的方面是 来研究小块的细胞膜。 这项技术将允许 离子特异性通道的观察，以及药物对 渠道。

Preterm labor and deliver is a problem of profound national importance. As clinicians, we are hindered in the prevention and treatment of preterm labor by a lack of understanding of the microscopic details of the initiation of labor, maintenance of labor, and possible points of intervention. In order to define the details of the electrophysiology of human reproductive smooth muscle and the mechanisms of drug action, we propose here to perform microelectrode studies on isolated pregnant human uterine myocytes and their cultures. A protocol for the enzymatic dispersion and isolation of individual myocytes from pregnant human myometrium will be determined. Cells cultured in the presence of pregnant human serum will also be studied to determine the effects of the hormones of pregnancy on electrophysiologic parameters. Over the past ten years the technique of patch clamping has been developed and exploited to study many types of cells, including neurologic, cardiac, and smooth muscle. The patch clamp is a specialized technique that allows various types of measurements to be performed. Using the "whole cell" voltage clamp, the contributions of specific ions to the excitability of the cell will be determined. A powerful aspect of the patch clamp technique is in the ability to study small patches of membrane. This technique will allow observation of ion specific channels, and the effects of drugs on the channels.