20α-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Expression in the Human Myometrium at Term and Preterm Birth: Relationships to Fetal Sex and Maternal Body Mass Index.

ABSTRACT: The mechanism by which human labor is initiated in the presence of elevated circulating progesterone levels remains unknown. Recent evidence indicates that the progesterone-metabolizing enzyme, 20α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20α-HSD), encoded by the gene AKR1C1, may contribute to functional progesterone withdrawal. We found that AKR1C1 expression significantly increased with labor onset in term myometrium, but not in preterm myometrium. Among preterm laboring deliveries, clinically diagnosed chorioamnionitis was associated with significantly elevated AKR1C1 expression. AKR1C1 expression positively correlated with BMI before labor and negatively correlated with BMI during labor. Analysis by fetal sex showed that AKR1C1 expression was significantly higher in women who delivered male babie

SUBMITTER: Paul M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10354170 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature