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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Michael TaggartORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2024 The Author(s). The Journal of Physiology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Physiological Society.Timely and efficient contractions of the smooth muscle of the uterus – the myometrium – are crucial to a successful pregnancy outcome. These episodic contractions are regulated by spontaneous action potentials changing cell and tissue electrical excitability. In this short review we will document and discuss current knowledge of these processes. Those seeking a conclusive account of myometrial pacemaking mechanisms, or indeed a definitive description of the anatomical site of uterine pacemaking, may be disappointed. Rather, after almost a century of investigation, and in spite of promising studies in the last decade or so, there remain many gaps in our knowledge. We review the progress that has been made using recent technologies including in vivo and ex vivo imaging and electrophysiology and computational modelling, taking evidence from studies of animal and human myometrium, with particular emphasis on what may occur in the latter. We have prioritized physiological studies that bring us closer to understanding function. From our analyses we suggest that in human myometrium there is no fixed pacemaking site, but rather mobile, initiation sites produce the connectivity for synchronizing electrical and contractile activity. We call for more studies and funding, as physiological understanding of pacemaking gives hope to being better able to treat clinical conditions such as preterm and dysfunctional labours. (Figure presented.).
Author(s): Wray S, Taggart MJ
Publication type: Review
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Physiology
Year: 2024
Pages: epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 28/07/2024
Acceptance date: 24/04/2024
ISSN (print): 0022-3751
ISSN (electronic): 1469-7793
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc
URL: https://doi.org/10.1113/JP284753
DOI: 10.1113/JP284753
PubMed id: 39073139
