Human amniotic fluid modulation of collagenase production in cultured fibroblasts. A model of fetal membrane rupture.

The participation of a mechanical factor as the only cause of rupture of fetal membranes during normal labor or premature rupture has been criticized, and the involvement of an enzymatic mechanism has been proposed. In this study we analyzed the effect of human amniotic fluids at different gestational ages on the collagenase synthesis of cultured fibroblasts. Our results show that term amniotic fluids are capable of inducing the synthesis of collagenase and other proteases in fibroblasts, as revealed by selective increases in collagenase activity and in immunoreactive collagenase. Nonterm amniotic fluids failed to do the same. This phenomenon is proposed as a model for studying the collagen degradation of fetal membranes during term gestation.