Effects of polyamines on the mechanical and electrical activities of the isolated circular muscle of rat uterus.

Effects of polyamines (0.05-1.2 mM) on the mechanical and electrical activities in the circular muscles of pre-(day 20 of pregnancy) and post-partum (10-15 h after delivery) rat myometria were studied. In the prepartum preparations, spermine and spermidine, added to the Mg-free Krebs solution, depressed contractions in a dose-dependent manner, whereas cadaverine and putrescine potentiated them. The latter agents depressed contractions when preparations were treated with indomethacin. Plateau potentials were spontaneously generated in the Mg-free solution in the prepartum circular muscle. The duration of the plateau became shorter, and spike potentials supermounted on the plateau potential were depressed when spermine or spermidine was applied. In the postpartum preparations, spike activity was depressed by spermine and spermidine. In both pre- and post-partum preparations, the membrane activity was little affected by cadaverine and putrescine. In view of the above findings, it was hypothesized that polyamines in general took the place of divalent cations in causing membrane stabilization. Cadaverine and putrescine probably caused a potentiation of contraction by stimulating the synthesis of endogenous prostaglandins.