Papers of the Week

Spontaneous preterm birth is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Tocolytics are drugs used to inhibit uterine contractions in cases of imminent preterm birth, however, few are effective in stopping labour once initiated and all have side effects. Combination approaches involving drugs that target multiple signalling pathways that regulate contractions may increase efficacy, reduce dosage and improve tolerability. Both non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and hydrogen sulphide (HS)-releasing compounds can reduce myometrial contractions. In a novel approach we evaluated the tocolytic properties of ATB-346-a HS-releasing derivative of the NSAID naproxen, shown clinically to reduce pain and inflammation in arthritis.