Regulation of eicosanoid production in the fetal placenta in preterm labour

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Prostaglandins are fatty substances made within the body and they are what causes the pregnant uterus to contract and push out the fetus. At present we can't control preterm birth because we don't understand well enough how prostaglandin synthesis is controlled. New discoveries in our lab have suggested an exciting new possibility- that prostaglandins partially regulate their own synthesis. If we find this is so, there may be far-reaching implications for the ways in which anti-inflammatory drugs are used, not only in prevention of premature birth, but in inflammatory diseases too. Most research in this area has been directed toward understanding what controls the overall synthesis of prostaglandins, but there are several types of prostaglandins with different functions. we are now in a position to study, for the first time, how the synthesis of the specific prostaglandins is regulated in the pregnant uterus and how this changes during normal and preterm birth.