Choriodecidual adhesion promotes decidual prolactin transport by human fetal membrane

Abstract

The theory of human decidualized endometrium to produce prolactin (PRL) throughout gestation has led to the implication that such production is related to the source of amniotic fluid PRL (afPRL). This study confirms that fetal membranes, amnion and amniochorion with or without adherent decidua, are unable to transfer significant quantities of exogenously administered PRL from the maternal to fetal compartments in vitro. Incubation of amniochorion with decidua adherent to chorion results in a significant increase in the amount of endogenous PRL appearing on the fetal side of the membrane concomitant with a rise in decidual PRL on the maternal side. The results suggest that transport of decidual PRL to amniotic fluid is predicated on retention of the cellular adhesion between maternal decidua and fetal chorion as exists in vivo. Disruption of decidual contact with fetal membrane results in failure of PRL transport to the fetal side despite a steady accumulation of PRL on the maternal side. We conclude that human fetal membranes are highly permeable to decidual PRL in vivo, and that decidua probably represents the major source of afPRL.

Human decidua is a major source of renin.

“…Thus, transport across both chorion and amnion would be necessary. An analogous situation has been described for amniotic fluid prolactin that arises from maternal decidua (29,30). The presence of renin in chorion without detectable renin mRNA expression supports the possibility of renin uptake by this tissue.…”

Human prorenin.

“…An analogous situation exists for decidual prolactin. 118 Endometrium, uterine lining in the nonpregnant state, also expresses the renin gene, but gene expression and prorenin production by cultured endometrial cells is much less than in decidua. 6 Estrogen and progesterone do not appear to induce the rise in prorenin production by the uterine lining that occurs with decidualization (unpublished results from our laboratory).…”

Uterine Prolactin and Labor: Modulation by Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Affects Prostaglandin (PG) E2and PGF2aProduction

“…Each membrane disc was mounted inside a dual-compartment perfusion chamber as previously described. 17 The membranes were confirmed to be leak-free over a 10-min period of observation whereby the fetal chamber was filled with incubation medium and the opposing chamber monitored for fluid accumulation. Synthetic amniotic fluid (SAF) at pH 7.4 was added to a volume of 9 mL on each of the fetal and maternal sides of the suspended tissue.…”