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Morphometric Effect of Prostaglandin E₁ and F₂ on Lactating Bovine Mammary Tissue In Vitro

Department of Food Science and Technology Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg 24061

C. W. Heald

Department of Dairy and Animal Science Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802

ABSTRACT

Mammary explants from six lactating cows were incubated for .17, 4, 8, and 12 h in medium containing prostaglandin E₁ or prostaglandin F₂ tromethamine salt at 0, 1, 10, or 50 µ/ml to determine if prostaglandins alter tissue structure. Explants were fixed, dehydrated, embedded in plastic resins, and sectioned at .5 to 1.0 µ. Tissue area was partitioned by light microscopy into normal, damaged, or debris epithelial; normal or debris lumenal; or stromal areas. All tissue samples exhibited signs of deterioration as incubation progressed. Prostaglandin E₁ treatment maintained more secretory epithelium and resulted in less epithelial debris and lumenal debris than controls. Prostaglandin F₂-treated tissue had less epithelial debris and normal lumenal area than tissue receiving no prostaglandin during the limited incubation. The three concentrations of prostaglandins studied did not identify optimal prostaglandins for mammary tissue incubated but indicated concentrations below 1 µg prostaglandin E₁ or F₂/ml should be studied. The response of mammary tissue to prostaglandin was affected by donor milk production. Increases of normal epithelial area were correlated with decreases of damaged and debris areas. Prostaglandins E₁ and F₂ appeared to be beneficial to healthy mammary tissue incubated under limited conditions.