The placenta and the control of fetal breathing movements

Effect of oleic acid supplementation on prostaglandin production in maternal endometrial and fetal allantochorion cells isolated from late gestation ewes

“…Parturition in the ewe is initiated by activation of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, followed by a concurrent increase in plasma cortisol and oestradiol production, that up-regulates PTGS2 expression and down-regulates PG dehydrogenase (PGDH), resulting in increased PG synthesis [20]. In the late pregnant ewe, PGE2 is produced primarily by the fetal component of the placentome, and concentrations rise over the last 3 weeks of gestation to aid fetal maturation [21]. At term, PGE2 causes cervical dilatation whereas PGF2α is released through oxytocin (OT) binding to its receptors in the intercotyledonary endometrium and stimulates uterine contractions and delivery [20,22,23].…”