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Reproductive Sciences, Vol. 15, No. 3, 312-320 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1933719108315299
© 2008 SAGE Publications

Effect of Relaxin on TGF-β1 Expression in Cultured Vaginal Fibroblasts From Women With Stress Urinary Incontinence

Yan Wen, MD

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, yanwen{at}stanford.edu

Yang-Yu Zhao, MD

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California

Mary Lake Polan, MD, PhD, MPH

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California

Bertha Chen, MD

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California

The objective of this study is to compare relaxin's effect on transforming growth factor (TGF)— β1 and latent TGF-β1—binding protein (LTBP-1) in vaginal fibroblasts from women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) to continent women (controls) in both phases of the menstrual cycle. Fibroblasts were treated with relaxin. TGF-β1 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. LTBP-1 expression was evaluated by Western blot. In the proliferative phase, total TGF-β1 level in the supernatant, cells, and extracellular matrix (ECM) of SUI fibroblasts decreased with increasing relaxin concentration (P < .05). Active TGF-β1 levels increased at a low concentration of relaxin (P < .05) in the supernatant but decreased in the ECM of SUI fibroblasts at high concentration (P < .05). In the secretory phase, total TGF-β1 levels decreased with relaxin treatment (P < .05) in the supernatant, cells and ECM of both women with SUI and controls. Relaxin decreased the levels of total and active TGF-β1 in the ECM isolated from SUI vaginal fibroblasts.

Key Words: Relaxin • TGF-β1 • fibroblasts • extracellular matrix • stress urinary incontinence.


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