Abstract
Excitable tissues can produce changes in behavioral and physiological states of an animal by undergoing prolonged changes in their excitability. One clear example of such a system is the smooth muscle of the adult mammalian uterus, whose electrical properties are closely linked to the action of steroid hormones (Burnstock et al., 1963; Marshall, 1974; Kuriyama and Suzuki, 1976). During the course of pregnancy, the uterus undergoes extensive development to a relatively quiescent state at mid-gestation, and then alters its electrical properties to become highly excitable shortly before birth occurs. The progressive shifts in electrical properties follow changes in the hormonal status of the mother, with progesterone levels relatively high at mid-gestation and estrogen concentrations showing a sharp rise at the end of pregnancy. Electrophysiological changes resembling those occurring during pregnancy can be produced by administration of steroid hormones to ovariectomized animals. In general, estrogen treatment enhances the uterine smooth muscle excitability and progesterone reduces it.
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© 1988 Plenum Press, New York
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Boyle, M.B., Kaczmarek, L.K. (1988). Steroidal Regulation of mRNA Coding for Potassium Channels in Uterine Smooth Muscle. In: Grinnell, A.D., Armstrong, D., Jackson, M.B. (eds) Calcium and Ion Channel Modulation. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0975-8_29
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0975-8_29
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