OXYGEN UPTAKE OF RAT MAMMARY TISSUE SLICES

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Abstract
An in vitro study was made of the O2 uptake of mammary gland tissue of female rats in various exptl. states. Because of the very high proportion of fat in mammary tissue, the values of O2 were detd. on a fat-free as well as a water-free basis, thus providing a more accurate measure of the O2 consumption of this tissue. The O2 utilization by mammary gland of pregnant animals increased approx. 3 times over the activity in the normal, or resting, gland. This increase was maintained during lactation and a return toward normal levels occurred during postlactational involution. The response to p-phenylenediamine indicated that during lactation the increased energy requirements decreased the reserves of the cytochrome system in mammary tissue. There was a well-developed mammary gland in adult male rats; but the avg. fat content and response to p-phenylenediamine of the tissue were almost identical with values for adult female rats. The use of p-phenylenediamine as a histological strain for the cytochrome system in mammary tissue is described.
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