Control of uterine contractions is of interest in the context of inappropriate myometrial activity during pregnancy and at time of delivery but it is also a matter for menstrual pain. While several molecular determinants of myometrial contractions have been described, the complete distribution of roles to the various actors is far from being understood. A key phenomenon is a variation in cytoplasmic Ca2+ which leads, in smooth muscle, to the activation of calmodulin and lastly in the phosphorylation of myosin allowing contraction. The Ca2+-activated transient receptor potential melastatin 4 (TRPM4) channel which is known to modulate Ca2+-fluxes in several cell types was shown to participate in vascular as well as detrusor muscle contraction. We thus designed a study to determine whether it also participates in myometrial contraction.
Uterine rings were isolated from Trpm4+/+ and Trpm4-/- non-pregnant adult mice and contractions were recorded using an isometric force transducer.
In basal conditions, spontaneous contractions were similar in both groups. Application of 9-phenanthrol, a pharmacological TRPM4 inhibitor, dose-dependently reduced contraction parameters in Trpm4+/+ rings with an IC50 around 2.10-6 mol.L-1. The effect of 9-phenanthrol was significantly reduced in Trpm4-/- rings. The effect of oxytocin was tested and was found to be stronger in Trpm4+/+ rings compared to Trpm4-/-. Under a constant stimulation by oxytocin, 9-phenanthrol still reduced contraction parameters in Trpm4+/+ rings with a smaller effect on Trpm4-/-.
Altogether it indicates that TRPM4 participates in uterine contractions in mice and may thus be evaluated as a new target to control such contractions.
