The synthesis of prostaglandin F by human endometrium in organ culture

Slices of human endometrium obtained from hysterectomy specimens were cultured for 48 hours in an organ culture medium supplemented with ethanol (control, vehicle), 17-β-estradiol (.5 μg/ml), or progesterone (.5 μg/ml). Uncultured endometrial tissue, cultured tissues, and the media were assayed for prostaglandin F (PGF) by a radioimmunoassay technique. Hematoxylin and eosin and periodic acid-Schiff stain histologic controls were done on all tissues. The concentrations of PGF in picograms/milligram, corrected for percent recovery, in the differently treated tissues were: preculture 298; culture control 2210; estrogen-treated 2680; progesterone-treated 1260. All differences except those between estrogen and control (p >; .10) and progesterone and control (p < .10) are significant at the p = .02 level or better. Progesterone appears to inhibit PGF synthesis which occurs during in vitro culture of human endometrium; estrogen tended to increase PGF synthesis in this system.