Regulation of hyaluronate metabolism by progesterone in cultured fibroblasts from the human uterine cervix

The effects of progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and 17β-estradiol on the synthesis and degradation of hyaluronate were investigated using human uterine cervix fibroblasts. The cells were incubated with [ 3H]glucosamine in the presence of the hormones and then [ 3H]hyaluronate was isolated from the medium. The changes in the radioactivity of [ 3H]hyaluronate showed that progesterone suppressed hyaluronate synthesis by 22% of the control levels, while dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and 17β-estradiol enhanced it by 22% and 12% of the control levels, respectively. Furthermore, progesterone induced degradation of high-molecular-weight [ 14C]hyaluronate into low-molecular-weight hyaluronate ( M r≈40 000). These results suggest that in cultured fibroblasts from the human uterine cervix progesterone converts hyaluronate metabolism from the synthesis phase to the degradation phase. © 1997 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. All rights reserved