Effects of oxamate, an inhibitor of lactate dahydrogenase, upon the spontaneous or oxytocin-induced motility and over pyruvate levels of uterine horns isolated from ovariectomized or estrus rats.

The stability with time of the spontaneous as well as the oxytocin-triggered functional activity of uterine borns isolated from induced estrus rats and immersed in a medium with lactate as the substrate was not affected by the presence of oxomate (an inhibitor of lactate dehydrogenase) at 10 or 20mM. On the contrary, the oxytocin-driven and the spontaneous motility of preparations obtained from 15 days castrated rats diminished significantly following in addition of the enzyme inhibitor. Furthermore, uterine borns from ovariectomized animals injected with 17-beta estradiol, regain the lack of functional sensivity towards oxamate. In addition, determinations of pyruvate levels in homogenates of uterine tissue, previously suspended in lactate medium (as in the functional experiments), demonstrate to be significantly reduced, following oxamate. Several possible reasons, attempting to explain these findings, are discussed.