Mammary gland growth of rats between 10 and 100 days of age

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Abstract
Mammary area of the right abdominal gland increased from 9.3 mm2 at 10 days to 450.9 mm2 at 100 days of age. The DNA content of the total abdominalinguinal mammary fat pad (TMFP) increased from 0.33 mg at 10 days to 3.52 mg at 100 days. In another experiment abdominal glands were dissected free of most extraparenchymal tissue. Total DNA of this specific mammary area (SMA) increased from 0.06 mg at 10 days to 0.53 mg at 35 days. Although mammary area was highly correlated with TMFPA-DNA (r = 0.93) and SMA-DNA (r = 0.89), certain fundamental differences in the type of growth were revealed by each method of assessing growth. Mammary area increased 1.13, 3.92, and 0.59 ([alpha] values) times faster than body surface area between 10 and 20, 23 and 40, and 60 and 100 days of age, respectively. However, TMFP- and SMA-DNA appeared to fit single straight lines with [alpha] values of 1.56 and 1.96, respectively. Both mammary area and DNA data indicated that an allometric growth phase was initiated in advance of puberty.

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