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The Declining Phase of Lactation: Peripheral or Central, Programmed or Pathological?

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Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In most species the functional activity of the mammary gland during lactation follows a biphasic developmental pattern. This pattern starts with a rapid increase in milk output that occurs with secretory activation and continues with a more gradual increase until the point of peak lactation is reached. Following this gain-of-function phase, the ability of the gland to produce milk decreases. This decrease occurs even if the lactation is prolonged by the presence of continued suckling stimulus and complete milk removal. This review describes the current state of our knowledge concerning the factors that regulate milk synthesis capacity by the mammary gland during the lactation cycle. The review describes four potential alternatives as mechanisms governing the process, which we refer to as secretory diminution. These alternatives are not presented as mutually exclusive of each other or other possible mechanisms, but are proposed as potential contributing mechanisms.

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Abbreviations

GSH:

reduced glutathione

GSSG:

oxidized glutathione

8DG:

8-hydroxy, 2′-deoxyguanine

SOCS:

suppressor of cytokine signaling

IGF:

insulin-like growth factor

GH:

growth hormone

TUNEL:

terminal transferase dTUP-mediate nick end labeling

NP-Y:

neuropeptide Y

NF-kB:

nuclear factor kB

ERK:

extracellular signal regulated kinase

IR:

insuling receptor

IGF-IR:

IGF-I receptor

CIS:

cytokine induced SH2-proteins

STAT5:

signal transducer and activator of transcription 5

JAK:

janus kinase

IRS:

insulin receptor substrate

NT:

non transgenic

WD:

WAP-DES

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mr. Walter Olea for technical assistance and Ms. Louise Hadsell for critically reading the manuscript and providing editorial comments. The authors also thank Dr. Albert F. Parlow and the National Hormone and Pituitary Program for the recombinant murine prolactin used in these studies. Some of the work described in this manuscript was supported by grants to D.L. Hadsell from the United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service (cooperative agreement #58-6250-6001), from the United States Department of Agriculture National Research Initiative, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (#2001-35206-11145) and from the National Institutes of Health (DK52197). The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Agriculture nor does the mention of any trade names, commercial products or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government.

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  1. USDA Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1100 Bates St., Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Darryl Hadsell, Jessy George & Daniel Torres

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  1. Darryl Hadsell
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  2. Jessy George
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Correspondence to Darryl Hadsell.

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Hadsell, D., George, J. & Torres, D. The Declining Phase of Lactation: Peripheral or Central, Programmed or Pathological?. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia 12, 59–70 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10911-007-9038-4

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