Clostridium Botulinum Toxin a Significantly Inhibits Uterine Contractions in Rats Undergoing Mifepristone-induced Preterm Labor

Preterm labor is defined as the presence of regular uterine contractions with progressive cervical changes before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. Spontaneous preterm labor accounts for 40% to 50% of all preterm births [1]. An estimated 13 million babies (−10% of all births) are born preterm each year worldwide, and approximately 1 million of all newborn deaths are due to preterm birth [2]. At present, typical uterine contraction inhibitors (e.g., betamimetics, magnesium sulfate, calcium channel blockers, oxytocin receptor antagonists, and prostaglandin inhibitors) have achieved limited success for short-term management of preterm labor. Although tocolytic agents were superior to placebo at delaying delivery for at least 7 days in a meta-analytic study, none was statistically more effective than placebo at delaying delivery to 37 weeks gestation or at reducing neonatal mortality and morbidity [3]. Women receiving tocolytics for preterm labor require monitoring and intenCLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM TOXIN A SIGNIFICANTLY INHIBITS UTERINE CONTRACTIONS IN RATS UNDERGOING MIFEPRISTONE-INDUCED PRETERM LABOR