Morphometric analysis of gap junctions in nonpregnant and term pregnant human myometrium

Abstract

Gap junctions are most frequently found in human myometrial cells in spontaneous labor, which strongly suggests a role for these structures in the termination of pregnancy. The effect of oxytocin on the appearance of gap junctions was negligible; hence, the contribution of oxytocin to establish myometrial contractile synchronicity is thought to be minor. Caveolae are probably not relevant for the initiation of labor as their distribution did not differ between the groups.