Diabetes Mellitus, Human Uterine Contractility and Labour (360G-Wellcome-206890_Z_17_Z)

It is well recognised that both maternal obesity in pregnancy, and maternal gestational Diabetes Mellitus (DM) result in a much greater need for caesarean section for delivery of the infant (1-3). There is an emerging view that the human uterine smooth muscle is subjected to some type of metabolic dysregulation in these conditions, but the exact factors involved are unknown. The aim of this project is to examine the effects of a number of biomarkers associated with DM in obese women on the contractility of human pregnant myometrium in vitro. The effects of glucose, Proinsulin C-Peptide, and Insulin, on spontaneous, and agonist (oxytocin)-induced contractions of human myometrium in vitro, obtained in the third trimester of pregnancy, will be examined. The following parameters will be measured, and compared with simultaneously run control experiments: frequency and force of contractions, peak amplitude and integrals of contractile activity over 15-minute periods. The raw data measured will be compared using ANOVA, followed by Tukey's HSD test for post-hoc analysis, with significance taken as a P value