MAMMOTROPHIC AND PROLACTIN-LIKE EFFECTS OF RAT AND HUMAN PLACENTAE AND AMNIOTIC FLUID

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Abstract
SUMMARY Mammary development in the rat during pregnancy is a continuous process beginning around the third day of pregnancy. In order to study whether mammogenesis is due to a placental stimulus, mammary development in pregnant rats was compared with that in rats with deciduomata; the latter showed no mammary development. There was no correlation between the state of the mammary gland in the rats with deciduomata and their uterine weight or development. This suggested that the placenta is a primary source of mammary development in the pregnant rat. Rat placental homogenate, human placental extract and human amniotic fluid had mammotrophic activity in rats primed with oestradiol. The crop sac-stimulating activity of rat placental lactogen was found to be approximately 0·005 i.u. prolactin/mg. dry powder, corresponding to 0·10 i.u. prolactin/placenta. Human placental lactogen (Folrini, 95% pure) contained the equivalent of 3·3 i.u. prolactin/mg., corresponding to about 330–825 i.u./placenta. No crop sac-stimulating activity could be detected in amniotic fluid from rats or women.

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