Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P01178 (oxytocin)
 15,767 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha) was administered extraamniotically for pregnancy termination in 15 cases of intrauterine fetal death between 18-39 weeks gestation and in 10 cases of fetal abnormality or hydatidiform mole between 16-28 weeks gestation. After thorough cleansing of the cervix a No. 16 Foley catheter was inserted and retained in the extraamniotic space by means of the balloon, inflated with 10 ml of saline. PGF2alpha tromethamine salt (Prostin F2alpha, Upjohn Netherland, was diluted to an aqueous solution of 0.25 mg PGF2alpha/ml and administered via the catheter at 1 hour intervals. Treatment was started with 0.5 mg (2 ml) and the initial dosage was increased by increments of 0.25 mg to a maximum of 1 mg/hour if uterine contractility did not ensue. Temperature, pulse rate, and blood pressure were checked regularly. Antibiotherapy (ampicillin) was routinely given at the beginning of the study but later abandoned. Pethidine was used as an analgesic whenever required. Abortion or delivery was achieved in all 25 cases studied. In all but 1 of the patients with intrauterine fetal death, delivery occurred within 24 hours and the placenta was delivered spontaneously and complete in 11 of the 15 patients (73%). There was no relationship between the duration of fetal death and induction delivery interval. In cases with an abnormal but living fetus or hydatidiform mole, abortion was frequently incomplete and the mean induction abortion interval (24.4 hours) was 10 hours longer than that observed in cases of intrauterine fetal death (14.5 hours). 5 of the 10 patients required intravenous oxytocin from a cervical dilatation of 3-6 cm onwards and from 14-30 hours after the start of PGF2alpha administration. In these cases abortion always followed within 3 hours of starting the oxytocin infusion. Side effects were moderate in both groups of patients and pyrexia of 38 degrees Centigrade or more was never encountered. None of the patients showed any signs of intrauterine infection. Blood loss exceeded 500 ml in 4 of the 25 patients studied (16%), but only 1 patient, with a molar pregnancy, lost as much as 1000 ml. Discontinuous extraamniotic prostaglandin therapy constitutes a safe and effective approach for the active management of intrauterine fetal death.
 ...
PMID:Extraamniotic prostaglandin F2 alpha for intrauterine death and fetal abnormality. 29 60

Pethidine (also known as meperidine and as Demerol) injected subcutaneously at 10 mg/kg into parturient rats on the birth of the second pup resulted in a marked slowing of the progress of parturition, associated with reduced plasma oxytocin concentrations. Injection of the opiate antagonist naloxone counteracted the inhibition of oxytocin secretion and largely prevented the slowing of parturition. In vitro, pethidine inhibited spontaneous, oxytocin-induced and acetylcholine-induced contractions of uteri from rats immediately post partum, and these effects were not reversed by naloxone. In anesthetized lactating rats, pethidine inhibited the suckling-induced milk-ejection reflex and attenuated oxytocin-induced contractions of mammary myoepithelium. Finally, pethidine depressed plasma oxytocin concentrations in rats given 2% saline to drink for 24 h to stimulate oxytocin secretion. Thus pethidine inhibits oxytocin secretion in all three conditions; this inhibition is probably mediated by central opioid receptors. In addition, however, pethidine depresses the oxytocin responsiveness both of mammary myoepithelium and of myometrium. The latter effect at least is not opioid mediated.
 ...
PMID:Pethidine (meperidine) inhibition of oxytocin secretion and action in parturient rats. 187 95

Morphine was injected into the lumbar subarachnoid space of anaesthetized lactating rats (7-10 days post partum) to examine its effect on the milk-ejection reflex at a spinal level. Although the delay until the first milk-ejection response to the suckling of hungry pups was variable (3-60 min) the subsequent responses occurred at regular intervals of 7.5 +/- 0.4 min; milk-ejection responses were detected by measurement of intramammary pressure and by the characteristic behaviour of the pups. Injection of morphine (4-50 micrograms) via a cannula inserted into the spinal subarachnoid space inhibited reflex milk ejection in a dose-related manner without affecting the sensitivity of the mammary gland to exogenous oxytocin (1 mu., i.v.); injection extradurally was without effect. The opiate antagonist naloxone (10 micrograms), when injected intrathecally, did not significantly alter the pattern of reflex milk ejection or the amplitude of the intramammary pressure response, but prevented the inhibitory effect of morphine when administered with the opiate. Pethidine (250 and 400 micrograms) also inhibited the milk-ejection reflex. It is unlikely that the effect of spinal administration of morphine occurred as the result of the transportation to a supraspinal site since release of oxytocin evoked by intraventricular injection of hypertonic sodium chloride (3 mol/l) was blocked by intraventricular injection of morphine (4 micrograms) but not by a much larger dose (40 micrograms) injected intrathecally.
 ...
PMID:Evidence for a spinal site at which opioids may act to inhibit the milk-ejection reflex. 404 47

This study examines the effect of beta-adrenergic administration (orciprenaline) on oxytocin- and prostaglandin-induced uterine activity at term in 10 patients in whom labor was induced. An amniocentesis was performed and Pethidine 50 mg was administered intravenously. Labor was induced by oxytocin or prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha) using a constant-rate infusion pump. When uterine activity was compatible with early labor, 0.25 mg of orciprenaline was administered. When the uterine activity returned to the original level, the 1st drug was discontinued and the other substituted. When the membranes were ruptured, labor was allowed to continue. All cases were delivered vaginally within 18 hours. Results show that: 1) there is no difference in the effect of orciprenaline on the cardiovascular variables, pulse rate, and blood pressure when labor was induced with PGF2 alpha and oxytocin; 2) maternal tachycardia and an increase in pulse pressure were noted in all cases; 3) there was no alpha adrenergic effect of the PG at the dosage used; and 4) uterine activity was abolished for a longer period when the contractions were induced by oxytocin in spite of an initial higher level of uterine activity in the PG series. Orciprenaline, a resorcyl ethanolamine and beta-adrenergic stimulant, was less effective in decreasing uterine activity stimulated by PGF2alpha than by oxytocin. These findings conform with the hypothesis that PGs may be implicated in the stage of rapid cervical dilation, as beta-adrenergics are known to be less effective in this stage of premature labor. A new approach is suggested in that antiprostaglandins may be effective at a later stage in premature labor.
 ...
PMID:The effect of a beta-adrenergic agent on prostaglandin stimulated labor. 415 48

Quality assurance in the care of breast-feeding women and their nursing infants also applies to drugs administered during delivery and puerperium. Large variations among hospitals may indicate that drug use is irrational. A survey comparing the extent of drug sales from the hospital pharmacy to maternity wards in eight Norwegian hospitals was performed in 1992 and the results were compared with data from 1988. The purpose was to examine whether the drug use was "baby-friendly" with regard to the following criteria; proven efficacy for the indication; no effect on milk ejection, milk production and interaction with infant; minimal transfer of drug to milk. Large variations were found among hospitals in the case of some oxytocic drugs. High use of oxytocin as nasal spray and metylergometrine as tablets may indicate unnecessary use of drugs. A large decrease (89%) in the use of hypnotics was found from 1988 to 1992, which may indicate previous irrational use of these drugs. Pethidine as pain relief during delivery remained stable during this period, and was received by 40-60% of women giving birth. None of the drugs given to the mothers was assessed to represent a risk to the breast-fed infant. In general, drug use in maternity wards had decreased during the last four years and, with some exceptions, appeared to be more baby-friendly.
 ...
PMID:[Is drug use in maternity wards baby-friendly enough?]. 749 9

Current hypotheses suggest that the degradation of cervical collagen and elastin leads to cervical effacement and dilation during labor. The collagenolytic activity is thought to be initiated through the conversion of latent (pro)collagenase to active collagenase by the plasmin formed from plasminogen or by other proteases similarly formed from their inactive zymogens. We presently demonstrate that meperidine stimulates the activity of several enzymes in the proteolytic cascade leading toward proteolysis of connective tissue proteins. Meperidine in its therapeutic concentration range produces a 26% stimulation of urokinase activity on substrate S-2444, a 39% stimulation of plasmin activity on substrate S-2551, and a 33% stimulation of collagenase activity on 14C-labeled globin substrate. These direct effects on the enzyme activities are noted in vitro with the purified enzymes and were confirmed with several small molecular weight chromogenic substrates and with 14C-globin protein substrate. Oxytocin at levels found during active labor fails to stimulate the in vitro activity of purified urokinase, plasmin, collagenase, trypsin, or tissue-type plasminogen activator. The effect of meperidine on the proteolytic enzymes suggests that its ability to promote cervical effacement and distention during labor may be at least partially due to a meperidine-induced stimulation of cervical proteases.
 ...
PMID:Direct stimulation of urokinase, plasmin, and collagenase by meperidine: a possible mechanism for the ability of meperidine to enhance cervical effacement and dilation. 847 75