1. Vaginal-cervical epithelial permeability decreases after menopause
George I Gorodeski, M.D.,Ph.D. 
Fertility and Sterility 
Volume 76, Issue 4, Pages (October 2001)
DOI: /S (01)

2. FIGURE 1
Effects of menopause on transepithelial electrical conductance (GTE, solid bars), and on the permeability to pyranine (Ppyr, empty bars) across cultures of human ectocervical epithelial cells on filters. Primary cultures of human ectocervical epithelial cells were generated from four groups of women: premenopausal women aged 35–39 years (n = 5; total of 7 filters); premenopausal women aged 42–45 years (n = 4; total of 8 filters); perimenopausal women aged 48–50 years (n = 4; total of 7 filters); and postmenopausal women aged 55–65 years who have not used hormone (E or progestin) replacement therapy (n = 5; total of 8 filters). Cells were plated on filters and maintained in regular medium for 5 days. For each filter, transepithelial electrical conductance determinations were followed by determinations of pyranine permeability. Bars are means ± SD. The age-related decreases in transepithelial electrical conductance and in pyranine permeability were significant (P<.01).
Gorodeski.Vaginal-cervical permeability.Fertil Steril 2001.
Fertility and Sterility  , DOI: ( /S (01) )

3. FIGURE 2
Correlation analysis of transepithelial electrical conductance (GTE) and pyranine permeability (Ppyr) in cultures obtained from the four groups in Fig. 1 (see Results).
Gorodeski.Vaginal-cervical permeability.Fertil Steril 2001.
Fertility and Sterility  , DOI: ( /S (01) )

4. FIGURE 3
Effects of menopause and E treatment in vitro on transepithelial electrical conductance (GTE) and pyranine permeability (Ppyr) across cultures of human ectocervical epithelial cells on filters. Secondary and tertiary cultures were generated from three groups of women: premenopausal women aged 35–43 years (n = 5; total of 12 filters); perimenopausal women aged 48–52 years (n = 4; total of 14 filters); and postmenopausal women aged 55–65 years who have not used hormone (E or progestin) replacement therapy (n = 3; total of 9 filters). Cells were plated on filters for 8 hours and then shifted to steroid-free medium for 5 days. Two days before experiments cells were treated with 10 nmol/L 17β-E2 (E, 6 filters from premenopausal; 7 filters from perimenopausal; and 5 from postmenopausal women) or the vehicle (C, control). Bars are means ± SD (see Results). Means for both transepithelial electrical conductance and pyranine permeability of cells treated with E differed from controls (P<.01 in all cases).
Gorodeski.Vaginal-cervical permeability.Fertil Steril 2001.
Fertility and Sterility  , DOI: ( /S (01) )

5. FIGURE 4
Correlation analysis of transepithelial electrical conductance (GTE) and pyranine permeability (Ppyr) in cultures obtained from the three groups in Fig. 3 (see Results). Solid circles = cells grown in steroid-free medium; open circles = cells treated with E.
Gorodeski.Vaginal-cervical permeability.Fertil Steril 2001.
Fertility and Sterility  , DOI: ( /S (01) )

6. FIGURE 5
Effects of menopause, and treatments with E and tamoxifen in vitro on transepithelial electrical conductance (GTE) across human ectocervical epithelial cell cultures on filters. Secondary and tertiary cultures were generated from two groups of women: premenopausal women aged 40–43 years (n = 3; total of 16 filters) and postmenopausal women aged 56–63 years who have not used hormone (E or progestin) replacement therapy (n = 3; total of 13 filters). Cells were plated on filters for 8 hours and then shifted to steroid-free medium for 5 days. Two days before experiments cells were treated with 10 nmol/L 17β-E2 (Est, 4 filters from premenopausal and 4 from postmenopausal women); 100 nmol/L tamoxifen (Tmx, 3 filters from premenopausal and 4 from postmenopausal women); E plus tamoxifen (Est+Tmx, 3 filters from premenopausal and 4 from postmenopausal women); or the vehicle (C, control, 3 filters from premenopausal and 4 from postmenopausal women). Bars are means ± SD. ∗P<.01.
Gorodeski.Vaginal-cervical permeability.Fertil Steril 2001.
Fertility and Sterility  , DOI: ( /S (01) )