Steroid hormone effects on intercellular communication between term pregnant human myometrial cells before labor

The appearance of gap junctions (GJs) between myometrial smooth muscle cells is one of the major events associated with the onset of labor. We have employed dye-coupling and electrical-current injection techniques to study the mechanisms by which steroid hormones regulate GJs in term pregnant myometrium of women before labor. Progesterone (P4) did not alter the input resistance (Ro) of the tissues when added to Tyrode's solution, which was used as control treatment. Octanol, the putative gap junctional uncoupling agent, increased the Ro of the cells compared to the control and P4-treated groups. The membrane potential (Em) did not differ between these groups. However, when P4 was applied after the tissue was perfused with estradiol (E2), the results changed dramatically: the Em hyperpolarized, and the Ro increased. Octanol increased the Ro in E2-treated tissues, but did not affect the Em. Consecutive application of E2, octanol, E2, and P4 resulted in rapid changes in the Ro of the cells. Dye-coupling was mostly detected between cells from controls and E2-treated tissues. These results indicate that P4 exerts its effects in the presence of E2 and that P4 has rapid effects on the intercellular communication between human myometrial cells.