Plasma Glucose and Acetate and Milk Secretion in the Ruminant

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Abstract
The depressions in milk yield associated with the continuous intravenous infusion of succinate, which appears to interfere with the operation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and of insulin were investigated in the cow. It was found that the essential requirement of glucose by the mammary gland for the maintenance of milk secretion is primarily as a precursor for milk lactose synthesis and that, because milk is maintained isotonic with blood, when lactose secretion is depressed the output of water in milk is correspondingly reduced. The intravenous infusion of succinate caused, however, a general reduction in synthesis of all major milk constituents.