ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY OF HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE SMOOTH MUSCLE

早产和分娩是一个深刻的全国性问题 重要性。作为临床医生，我们在预防和治疗方面受到阻碍 对早产的认识不足对早产的治疗 开始分娩、维持分娩的微观细节 劳工，以及可能的干预点。 为了定义人类电生理学的细节 生殖平滑肌和药物作用机制， 我们建议在此进行分离的微电极研究 妊娠人子宫肌细胞及其培养。 一种用于酶促分散和分离个体的方案 将对妊娠人子宫肌层的肌细胞进行检测。 在孕妇血清存在的情况下培养的细胞也将 被研究以确定怀孕激素的影响 电生理参数。 在过去的十年里，膜片钳技术已经 开发和利用以研究多种类型的细胞，包括 神经学、心肌和平滑肌。膜片钳是一种 允许各种类型的测量的专门技术 将会被执行。使用“全电池”电压钳位， 特定离子对细胞兴奋性的贡献将是 下定决心。 膜片钳技术的一个强大方面是能够 研究小片状的膜。这项技术将使 离子特异性通道的观察及药物对其影响 频道。

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.