Figure 6.

Effect of CRH on IL-1β-induced regulation of PGHS2 expression in human term nonlaboring and laboring myometrial cells. Primary cells were isolated from myometrial tissues obtained from pregnant women at term before or after the onset of labor (A and B). In some experiments myometrial explants were prepared as described in Materials and Methods from term nonlaboring or laboring biopsies with or without chorioamnionitis (C and D). Cells or explants were stimulated with IL-1β (1 ng/mL) alone or with 100 nM CRH for the indicated time period, and PGHS2 mRNA levels were determined by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. Data are expressed as mean values ± SEM of 3 estimations from at least 3 patients and are presented as fold increase above basal (A–D). *, P < 0.05 compared with IL-1β alone (B–D) values; +, P < .05 compared with nonlaboring (A).