FIG. 8.

Spatial and temporal localization of MMP activity in the pregnant, laboring, and PP rat myometrium. Representative images from in situ zymography (ISZ) using gelatin and collagens I and IV as substrates. Increased green fluorescence (depicting substrate degradation) was localized intracellularly to the nuclear and perinuclear region of the myometrial cytoplasm during late gestation (GD22) and laboring (GD23), however during 1PP, fluorescence was detected both intra- and extracellularly in the myometrial parenchyma between SMCs. Negative control sections were pre-incubated with EDTA. Magnification ×100.