Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Human mammary gland function at the onset of lactation: medium-chain fatty acid synthesis

  • Article
  • Published:
Lipids

Abstract

The onset of medium-chain fatty acid synthesis in the human mammary gland was investigated. Colostrum and serum were collected from 31 healthy women and the fatty acid composition of total lipid was analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography. Although colostrum/serum ratios for most fatty acids range from 0.7–2.4, very low levels of 10∶0 and 12∶0 were present in serum lipids as compared to much higher concentrations of these fatty acids in colostrum lipids (colostrum/serum ratio 16.23 and 17.11 for 10∶0 and 12∶0, respectively). We have previously found that medium-chain fatty acid levels are very low inprepartum mammary secretions (6–10 wk before term delivery) but are higher and similar in colostrum of women who deliver preterm (3–14 wk) or at full term. The data indicate that parturition, irrespective of length of pregnancy, is the trigger for medium-chain fatty acid synthesis in the human mammary gland.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hamosh, M. (1988) inNutrition During Infancy (Tsang, R.C., and Nichols, B.L., eds.) pp. 133–159, CV Mosby Co., St. Louis.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Clandinin, M.T., Chappell, J.E., and Heim, T. (1981)Early Human Dev. 5, 355–366.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Crawford, M.A., Hassam, A.G., and Rivers, J.P.W. (1978)Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 31, 281–287.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Neuringer, M., Connor, N.E., Van Petten, C., and Barstad, L. (1984)J. Clin. Invest. 73, 272–276.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Carey, M.C., Small, D.M., and Bliss, C.M. (1983)Annu. Rev. Physiol. 45, 651–677.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Aw, T.Y., and Grigor, M.R. (1980)J. Nutr. 110, 2133–2140.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Bitman, J., Wood, D.L., Liao, T.H., Fink, C.S., Hamosh, P., and Hamosh, M. (1985)Biochim. Biophys. Acta 834, 58–64.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Hamosh, M., Bitman, J., Liao, T.H., Mehta, N.R., Buczek, R.J., Wood, D.L., Grylack, L.J., and Hamosh, P. (1989)Pediatrics 83, 86–92.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Bach, A.G., and Babayan, V.K. (1982)Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 36, 950–962.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Yeh, Y.Y., and Sheehan, P.M. (1985)Fed. Proc. 44, 2352–2358.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. McGarry, J.D., and Foster, D.W. (1980)Annu. Rev. Biochem. 49, 395–420.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Sarda, P., Lepage, G., Roy, C.C., and Chessex, P. (1988)Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 45, 399–405.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Baldwin, R.L. (1966)J. Dairy Sci. 49, 1533–1542.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Smith, S. (1980)J. Dairy Sci. 63, 337–352.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Martyn, P., and Hansen, I.A. (1980)Biochem. J. 190, 171–175.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Scow, R.O., Mendelson, C.L., Zinder, O., Hamosh, M., and Blanchette-Mackie, E.J. (1973) inDietary Lipids and Postnatal Development (Galli, C., Jacini, G., and Pecile, A., eds.) pp. 91–114. Raven Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Bitman, J., Freed, L.M., Neville, M.C., Wood, D.L., Hamosh, P., and Hamosh, M. (1986)J. Pediatr. Gastroenterol. Nutr. 5, 608–615.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Bitman, J., Wood, D.L., Hamosh, M., Hamosh, P., and Mehta, N.R. (1983)Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 38, 300–312.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Nutrition During Pregnancy (1990) Institute of Medicine, pp. 96–120, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Martyn, P., and Hansen, I.A. (1981)Biochem. J. 198, 187–192.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Grigor, M.R., and Warren, S.M. (1980)Biochem. J. 188, 61–65.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Ramsos, D.R., Muiruri, K.L., Lin, P.-Y., and Leveille, G.A. (1978)Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 159, 308–312.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Wilde, C.K., Addey, C.V.P., Casey, M.J., Blatchfard, D.R., and Peaker, M. (1988)Quart. J. Exp. Physiol. 73, 391–397.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Hamosh, M., Clary, T.R., Chernick, S.S., and Scow, R.O. (1970)Biochim. Biophys. Acta 210, 473–482.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Chivers, L., Knudsen, J., and Dils, R. (1977)Biochim. Biophys. Acta 487, 361–367.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Libertini, L., and Smith, S. (1978)J. Biol. Chem. 258, 1393–1401.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Lin, C.Y., and Smith, S. (1978)J. Biol. Chem. 253, 1954–1962.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Thompson, B.J., Stern, A., and Smith, S. (1981)Biochim. Biophys. Acta 662, 125–130.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Thompson, B.J., and Smith, S. (1982)Biochim. Biophys. Acta 712, 217–220.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Weber, K., and Osborn, M. (1969)J. Biol. Chem. 244, 4406–4412.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Thompson, B.J., and Smith, S. (1985)Pediatr. Res. 19, 139–143.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Hamosh, M., Spear, M.L., Bitman, J., Mehta, N.R., Wood, D.L., and Hamosh, P. (1991) inInborn Errors of Metabolism (Shaub, J., Van Hoof, F., and Vis, H.L., eds.) pp. 81–92, Plenum Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Ehrenkranz, R.A., Ackerman, B.A., and Nelli, C.M. (1984)J. Pediatr. Gastroenterol. Nutr. 3, 755–758.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Harzer, G., Haug, M., Dieterich, I., and Gentner, P.R. (1983)Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 37, 612–621.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jefferson Medical College, 19107, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    M. L. Spear & D. Gavula

  2. Milk Secretion and Mastitis Laboratory, USDA-ARS, 20704, Beltsville, Maryland

    M. L. Spear, J. Bitman & D. L. Wood

  3. Departments of Pediatrics, Physiology and Biophysics, Georgetown University Medical Center, 20007, Washington, D.C.

    M. Hamosh & P. Hamosh

Authors
  1. M. L. Spear
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Bitman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. Hamosh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. D. L. Wood
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. D. Gavula
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. P. Hamosh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

About this article

Cite this article

Spear, M.L., Bitman, J., Hamosh, M. et al. Human mammary gland function at the onset of lactation: medium-chain fatty acid synthesis. Lipids 27, 908–911 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02535871

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02535871

Keywords

Search

Navigation