Abstract
Summary
The presence of a prolactin band in 18-day fetal pituitaries was demonstrated by disc electrophoresis. Five or 10 pituitaries of 13- to 18-day fetal mice from A/Crgl strain were organ cultured with 12-day pregnant nulliparous mammary tissues of the same strain to investigate the capability of prolactin secretion by the fetal mouse pituitary. Mammary tissues cultured with pituitaries of 15- to 18-day fetuses showed secretory material in their alveoli, similar to that seen in cultures containing purified ovine prolactin. Late fetal pituitaries cultured in the presence of hypothalamic homogenate secreted less prolactin than in its absence, indicating the possibility of a prolactin-inhibiting factor in the fetus.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.