Human decidua contains an active adenylate cyclase, and a number of studies indicate that adenylate cyclase is functionally linked to increased in vitro prostaglandin synthesis. Increased decidual prostaglandin synthesis is associated with parturition, and therefore activation of adenylate cyclase may be involved in the control of human parturition. In this study, third trimester human decidual cells were preincubated for no more than 24 h prior to stimulation with a number of reagents which increase cellular cyclic AMP levels. Forskolin rapidly increased intracellular and extracellular cyclic AMP levels, but there was no increase in prostaglandin E(2) biosynthesis during incubations ranging from 5 min up to 24 h. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP or 8-bromo-cyclic AMP were also without effect on PGE(2) production, which suggests that the adenylate cyclase was not linked to the mechanisms regulating prostaglandin production. Cholera toxin increased basal cyclic AMP and PGE(2) synthesis, and was without effect: on IL-1 beta-stimulated PGE(2) levels. PGE(2) synthesis was increased by 24 h culture with IL-1 beta in all the cell preparations, indicating that the cells were biologically active, and that the lack of effect of changes in cyclic AMP synthesis on PGE(2) levels could not be attributed to a defect in the prostaglandin synthetic pathway. Our findings did not agree with earlier work which showed that changes in cyclic AMP were correlated with changes in PGE(2) production by human decidual cells. it is clear that in the previous studies the decidual cells were preincubated for 4-7 days prior to stimulation, in contrast with 24 h in our investigation. We suggest that the functional link between cyclic AMP and PGE(2) synthesis reported previously may develop during culture, and not be a part of normal decidual cell function, but further studies are needed to test this hypothesis.
