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Abstract
During pregnancy the collagen content of the human uterus increases sevenfold and
the elastin content increases fourfold to fivefold. The stable pyridinoline cross-link
is found in uterine collagen at a level of 0.11 mol per mole of collagen. The same
ratio, or a higher one, is found at the end of pregnancy, indicating that pyridinoline
synthesis keeps pace with the rapid synthesis of collagen. This cross-link would participate
in the maintenance of high mechanical strength of the uterus needed during parturition.
Uterine elastin contains 2.4 residues of desmosine plus isodesmosine in 1000 residues
of amino acids. This value falls to 0.95 at term, indicating that synthesis of desmosines
does not keep pace with the synthesis of elastin. Therefore, desmosine measurements
do not provide an accurate index of elastin changes in pregnancy. Collagen and elastin
contents in nongravid uteri increase with successive pregnancies; the cross-links
remain constant during this change.
Keywords
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References
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
May 28,
1985
Received in revised form:
May 14,
1985
Received:
January 18,
1985
Footnotes
☆Supported by Grants AM-30195 and HD-06773 from the National Institutes of Health and from the American Heart Association, Florida Affiliate.
Identification
Copyright
© 1985 Published by Elsevier Inc.
