Prostaglandin Metabolites and Human Labour

Wood, Eilidh

Prostaglandin Metabolites and Human Labour

dc.contributor.advisor	Slater, Donna
dc.contributor.author	Wood, Eilidh
dc.contributor.committeemember	Hemberger, Myriam
dc.contributor.committeemember	Dufour, Antoine
dc.contributor.committeemember	Shearer, Jane
dc.date	2024-11
dc.date.accessioned	2024-05-30T17:14:16Z
dc.date.available	2024-05-30T17:14:16Z
dc.date.issued	2024-05-29
dc.description.abstract	Preterm birth is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. The etiology of preterm birth, particularly those preterm births preceded by spontaneous preterm labour, is largely unknown. Prostaglandins and other lipid mediators in the eicosanoid family, have been implicated in the processes of term and preterm labour, although exactly which eicosanoids are involved and their exact roles in these processes has yet to be elucidated. To this end, we initially investigated the eicosanoid profile of discovery cohorts of maternal serum and urine. Analyses in first trimester serum revealed decreased levels of lipoxygenase pathway eicosanoids early in pregnancy in individuals with subsequent preterm birth. In 2nd and 3rd trimester urine, we found that term labour was associated with decreasing urinary tetranor prostaglandin metabolites (t-PGFM, t-PGEM, and t-PGDM), potentially suggesting altered prostaglandin metabolism with term labour. To interrogate the urine data further, we investigated levels of prostaglandin metabolites in a larger set of n=308 maternal urine samples and found that prostaglandin F2a and PGE2 metabolites (PGFM and PGEM, respectively) were increased with term labour, but unchanged leading up to labour onset. Finally, we investigated regulation of the prostaglandin metabolizing enzyme, 15-PGDH, by IL-1B and CRH and demonstrated that neither 15-PGDH levels nor PGE2 metabolism was significantly affected by either treatment in a chorionic explant model. In conclusion, eicosanoids and their metabolites appear to be involved in the labour process, although future work is required to determine the factors that regulate their production and metabolism and the utility of these lipid mediators as biomarkers for labour.
dc.identifier.citation	Wood, E. (2024). Prostaglandin metabolites and human labour (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1880/118861
dc.identifier.uri	https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/46458
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher.faculty	Graduate Studies
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary
dc.rights	University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject	pregnancy
dc.subject	labour
dc.subject	preterm labour
dc.subject	eicosanoids
dc.subject	prostaglandins
dc.subject.classification	Physiology
dc.title	Prostaglandin Metabolites and Human Labour
dc.type	master thesis
thesis.degree.discipline	Medicine – Medical Sciences
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary
thesis.degree.name	Master of Science (MSc)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudent	I do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible.