Milk Synthetic Response of the Bovine Mammary Gland to an Increase in the Local Concentration of Arterial Glucose

¹ Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1 Canada
² Department of Clinical Studies, University of Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1 Canada
³ Department of Land and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072 Australia

Concentrations of glucose in the external iliac artery feeding one udder half of 14 midlactation Holstein cows were increased by infusion to test the following three hypotheses of mammary function: 1) that mammary glands control their blood supply to maintain intracellular energy balance, 2) that milk precursors are taken out of capillary blood according to mass action kinetics, and 3) that the rate of milk component synthesis is dependent on its precursor's uptake from blood. The first seven cows received 20 g/h glucose during 10 h of infusion. Arterial concentrations of glucose were locally increased by only 10%, and the iliac plasma flow was not affected by glucose infusion, so the next seven cows were given 90 g/h glucose. Quantitative predictions resulting from the hypotheses were that arterial plasma flow would decrease by 32% with 90 g/h glucose infusion, glucose uptakes would increase and acetate, fatty acid, and amino acid uptakes decrease, and milk protein and fat yields and percentages would decrease. Iliac plasma flow decreased 16%, half of what was predicted, which suggests that other regulatory processes besides blood flow control took part in the response. Acetate and fatty acid uptakes by the mammary glands were reduced as predicted because of the lower blood flow, but an unexpected depression in extraction of plasma triacylglycerol also contributed to the reduced fatty acid uptake. Milk fat and protein yields were not affected by the exogenous glucose, falsifying the third hypothesis that milk component secretion is a function of uptake of its precursor. Milk fat and protein percentages declined with glucose infusion because of increased lactose synthesis and secretion of water into milk.

Key Words: glucose • arterial infusion • mammary uptakes • milk composition

Submitted on May 14, 2001
Accepted on October 31, 2001

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