Combined Effects of Nifedipine and Ritodrine in Reducing Human Uterine Muscle Contractions in the Lab

Nifedipine plus ritodrine produced a significantly greater inhibition of uterine contractions than either drug alone at intermediate concentrations.

• Tocolytic drugs were tested for their ability to inhibit uterine contractions in human myometrial tissue.
• All individual tocolytics significantly reduced myometrial contractions when used alone.
• The combination of nifedipine and ritodrine was more effective at reducing contractility than either drug used separately at certain concentrations.
• Other combinations, such as nifedipine plus nitroglycerin or nifedipine plus atosiban, were also more effective than the individual drugs but not more effective than nifedipine alone.
• The combination of nifedipine plus NS-1619 reduced the effectiveness of both drugs when used together.

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