Evidence that growth hormone stimulates milk synthesis by direct action on the mammary gland and that prolactin exerts effects on milk secretion by maintenance of mammary deoxyribonucleic acid content and tight junction status.

Abstract

Both PRL and GH play a role in maintaining lactation in the rat, although GH can only maintain pup weight gain at around 50% of the control value, whereas PRL can maintain weight gain close to 90% in the absence of GH. In this study we examined the effects of PRL and GH deficiency (using bromocriptine and an antiserum to rat GH) on milk yield and composition in lactating rats. Treatment with bromocriptine to suppress PRL secretion for 48 h led to a 57% decrease in milk yield with a concomitant decrease in milk protein and lactose yields, but no decrease in fat output. This led to the production of milk with a lower lactose concentration but increased concentrations of protein and particularly fat (increased 100%), which suggests that GH serves an auxiliary role by maintaining an energy-rich milk for the neonate when PRL secretion is reduced. This decrease in milk synthesis was accompanied by decreases in total mammary DNA content and increased milk sodium concentrations. The latter indicates the opening of tight junctions between mammary epithelial cells, which normally occurs during dedifferentiation and involution of the mammary gland. This suggests that PRL maintains milk synthesis at least in part by inhibiting epithelial cell loss and maintaining cellular differentiation. A deficiency in GH, by contrast, caused only a small decrease (24%) in milk yield and had no effect on the major constituents of milk or on milk sodium concentrations or total mammary DNA content. When animals were made deficient in both PRL and GH, however, there was a further marked decrease (88%) in milk volume along with the yields of all major milk constituents, confirming our previous findings that PRL and GH are the major regulators of milk synthesis. Recent studies have indicated that GH exerts direct effects on mammary gland growth, but its actions on milk secretion have been proposed to be mediated indirectly via insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). We, therefore, inhibited lactation by inducing PRL and GH deficiency for 48 h and then attempted to reinitiate it by administering GH either systemically or by local oil-based implants into the mammary gland. Oil-based GH implants were as effective in stimulating milk secretion in the treated (but not contralateral, control) gland as was systemic GH treatment. Thus, GH does act directly on the mammary gland to stimulate milk synthesis, although this does not rule out the possibility that GH acts by stimulating local production of IGF-I.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)