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Mast cell degranulation in rat uterine cervix during pregnancy correlates with expression of vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA and angiogenesis

Laboratorio de Endocrinología y Tumores Hormonodependientes, School of Biochemistry and Biological Sciences, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Casilla de Correo 242, 3000 Santa Fe, Argentina

Correspondence should be addressed to E H Luque; Email: eluque{at}fbcb.unl.edu.ar

Vascular growth of the uterine cervix during pregnancy is associated with mast cell (MC) degranulation. To better understand the mechanism underlying this process, uterine cervices of intact pregnant rats were dissected and endothelial cell proliferation was measured by a bromodeoxyuridine incorporation technique. Total vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA expression and the relative abundance of VEGF splice variants (120, 164, and 188) were determined by RT-PCR. VEGF protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. To investigate the role of MCs on cervical angiogenesis, a second set of pregnant animals were treated with an MC stabilizer (disodium cromoglycate) to inhibit MC degranulation. Furthermore, 17ß-estradiol (E₂) serum levels were established by RIA. In intact pregnant rats, VEGF mRNA expression was positively correlated with endothelial cell proliferation and circulating E₂ levels. All selected splice variants of VEGF gene were detected and their relative abundance did not show any change throughout pregnancy. Animals treated with disodium cromoglycate showed a decrease in endothelial cell proliferation and in VEGF mRNA expression compared with controls. Relative abundance of VEGF mRNA splice variants and E₂ serum levels showed no differences between these experimental groups. These results show a time-dependent correlation between VEGF mRNA expression and E₂ serum levels in the uterine cervix of intact pregnant rats, while MC stabilizer-treated animals reduced the VEGF expression without modifying E₂ serum levels. We suggest that cervical angiogenesis during pregnancy could be regulated by a mechanism which involves endogenous E₂ and chemical mediators stored in MC granules via a VEGF-dependent pathway.