Stimulation of prostaglandin E2 synthesis in human amnion cells maintained in monolayer culture by a substance(s) in amniotic fluid.

A substance(s) in amniotic fluid of human pregnancies promotes a striking increase in prostaglandin E2 production in human amnion cells maintained in primary monolayer culture. The prostaglandin E2 synthesis-stimulatory factor(s) acts in a time- and dose-dependent manner to accelerate prostaglandin E2 formation. We suggest that a substance of fetal origin enters amniotic fluid by way of fetal urine and acts to regulate prostaglandin E2 synthesis in amnion. Such a process may be of fundamental importance in the regulation of amniotic fluid volume homeostasis and in the initiation of parturition.