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The collagen concentration in rat uterine cervix was less on day 18 of pregnancy than in the non-pregnant animal but did not diminish further as pregnancy proceeded.

The solubility of cervical collagen in warm acetic acid (0·5 mol/l) was increased on day 22 compared with days 19, 20 and 21 of pregnancy, and there was a positive correlation of increasing solubility with the tissue rate of creep (a measure of reducing stiffness of the cervix).

Treatment of rats subcutaneously with arachidonic acid or prostaglandin F₂ (PGF₂) on day 18 of pregnancy decreased the stiffness of the tissue when assessed on day 19 and this was accompanied by increased solubility in cold saline (0·45 mol/l), cold acetic acid and warm acetic acid and a reduction in collagen concentration.

These results suggest that collagen properties rather than concentration are important in determining the stiffness of the rat uterine cervix at term and that exogenous PGF₂and arachidonic acid cause biochemical changes in collagen structure unlike those seen at term in untreated animals.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. P Read, R A. Word, M. A Ruscheinsky, B. C Timmons, and M. S Mahendroo Cervical remodeling during pregnancy and parturition: molecular characterization of the softening phase in mice Reproduction, August 1, 2007; 134(2): 327 - 340. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]