# ELECTROLYTE TRANSPORT IN CULTURED CERVICAL CELLS

> **NIH NIH K08** · CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY · 1994 · $77,446

## Abstract

The applicant, George Gorodeski, is an
Obstetrician-Gynecologist and an Assistant Professor of Reproductive
Biology at Case Western Reserve University with a long-term commitment to
research career in Physiology of Reproduction.  His past work on steroid
function in the human uterus in-vivo generated several publications.  At
present, his research is directed at the cellular level and his broad,
long term objective is to study mechanisms and regulation of fluid and
solute transport in the human female reproductive tract and their role in
human reproduction and women's health.
          The specific aims of the present study are: 1. to optimize the
methodology of culturing human ectocervical epithelial (hECE) cells,
which are a good in-vitro model of the woman's lower genital tract
epithelium, as a polarized epithelium on a porous filter and to
characterize the cultured epithelium using morphological, biochemical and
functional criteria. 2. to characterize electrolyte transport by the
cultured hECE cells with particular emphasis on active NaCl secretion and
absorption, and the regulatory mechanisms involved.  The hypothesis is
that this epithelium controls the luminal fluid environment by actively
secreting fluid and solutes from the blood into the lumen, that this
process is under the tonic control of steroid hormones and retinoids and
that it can be acutely modulated by neurohumoral secretagogues or by
mediators of local inflammatory response.  The health relatedness of the
project is: 1. the data will provide new knowledge of cellular mechanisms
and regulation of fluid secretion in the woman's reproductive tract. 2.
The information gained will make it possible to design clinical studies
of the local use (i.e. luminal) of agents which regulate ion transport in
order to control fluid secretion in the woman's genital tract.
          The experimental design is to study transepithelial NaCl
transport using cellular electrophysiology properties.  The methods to be
used are: 1. to quantitate active Na+ and CI- transport as short circuit
current (Isc) generated by cultured hECE cells mounted in Ussing chamber.
2. The nature of the actively transported ions under specific conditions
will be determined from Isc changes following treatment with transport
inhibitors or following ion replacement in the bathing solution. 3. To
quantitate Cl- transport in non-confluent hECE cultures using
fluorescence microscopy.  The study will be done under the sponsorship of
Dr. s' Scarpa and Hopfer at the Departments of Physiology and Biophysics
and Reproductive Biology at Case Western Reserve University.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2194458
- **Project number:** 5K08HD000977-03
- **Recipient organization:** CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** HJMKEF7EJW69
- **Principal Investigator:** GEORGE I GORODESKI
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1994
- **Award amount:** $77,446
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1992-05-01 → 1997-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2194458

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2194458, ELECTROLYTE TRANSPORT IN CULTURED CERVICAL CELLS (5K08HD000977-03). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2194458. Licensed CC0.

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