1Department of Pharmacology, Kocaeli University Medical Faculty Kocaeli, Turkey
2Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey
3Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey
*Corresponding e-mail: oguzmutlu80@hotmail.com
Online published on 19 November, 2018.
Many processes in insects, including metabolic, behavioral, developmental, and reproductive processes, are altered by neuropeptides. Adipokinetic hormone/red pigment-concentrating hormone (AKH/RPCH) family of peptides include adipokinetic and hypertrehalosemic peptides.
The present study investigated the effects of Anax imperator AKH (Ani-AKH), Libellula auripennis AKH (Lia-AKH), Phormia terraenovae hypertrehalosemic hormone (Pht-HrTH) and oxytocin on uterine contractility in human uterus strips. Contraction formed by Ani-AKH, Lia-AKH, Pht-HrTH and oxytocin were obtained from percentages of the maximal contraction of KCl (80 mM).
No difference detected between contractions of Ani-AKH, Lia-AKH, or Pht-HrTH and oxytocin at doses of 10−8 M in human uterus strips. Lia-AKH (10−7-10−4 M) significantly increased uterine contractions compared to oxytocin (10−7-10−4 M) in human uterus strips. Both Ani-AKH (10−4 M) and Lia-AKH (10−4 M) significantly increased uterine contractions compared to oxytocin (10−4 M) in human uterus strips.
These results show that the AKHs examined can be used to induce human uterine contraction.
Adipokinetic hormone, Uterus, Contraction
