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The Role of Membrane Potential in the Control of Uterine Motility

  • Chapter
Uterine Function

Abstract

An increase in the concentration of free calcium in the cytoplasm is essential for the initiation of contraction in smooth muscle. This calcium may be released from stores within the cell, but the most important source of calcium for long-term and repeated contraction is that which enters the cell from the external environment. At the resting membrane potential the influx of calcium is very small but increases dramatically as the membrane becomes depolarized. Thus, the membrane potential plays a crucial role in determining the level of contractility in uterine smooth muscle. The mechanisms involved in the control of calcium influx by membrane potential are considered in this chapter, along with how these processes vary throughout the estrous cycle and pregnancy and how they may be modified by endogenous hormones that are known to influence uterine motility.

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  1. Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia

    Helena C. Parkington & Harold A. Coleman

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Parkington, H.C., Coleman, H.A. (1990). The Role of Membrane Potential in the Control of Uterine Motility. In: Carsten, M.E., Miller, J.D. (eds) Uterine Function. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0575-0_7

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