Milk whey proteins in plasma of sows: variation with physiological state

The whey proteins α-lactalbumin and βMactoglobulin have been investigated as potential markers of mammary development in sows by measuring their concentrations in plasma. The whey proteins were isolated from porcine milk by gel filtration, ion-exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography, cha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of dairy research 1994-02, Vol.61 (1), p.21-34
Main Authors: Dodd, Susan C., Forsyth, Isabel A., Buttle, Hugh L., Gurr, Michael I., Dils, Raymond R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Estradiol - blood
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Labor, Obstetric - physiology
Lactalbumin - isolation & purification
Lactalbumin - metabolism
Lactation - physiology
Lactoglobulins - isolation & purification
Lactoglobulins - metabolism
Mammary Glands, Animal - physiology
Mastectomy
Milk - chemistry
Milk Proteins - blood
Mother. Fetoplacental unit. Mammary gland. Milk
Original Articles
Pregnancy
Pregnancy. Parturition. Lactation
Progesterone - blood
Prolactin - blood
Swine - blood
Swine - physiology
Vertebrates: reproduction
Whey Proteins
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Summary:The whey proteins α-lactalbumin and βMactoglobulin have been investigated as potential markers of mammary development in sows by measuring their concentrations in plasma. The whey proteins were isolated from porcine milk by gel filtration, ion-exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography, characterized by several criteria and used to raise antibodies. Specific radioimmuno-assays were set up for porcine α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin and validated for use in porcine blood and milk. Plasma levels of the whey proteins were measured in sows that were pregnant, suckling litters post partum, weaned abruptly at birth or were pregnant but mastectomized. Both whey proteins showed similar patterns in plasma post partum, falling from a maximum 1 d after parturition to values < 0·02% those in milk by day 4–5 post partum in suckling sows and showing a transient peak associated with early involution before declining to very low concentrations in non-suckling sows. α-Lactalbumin was first detected in the last week prepartum, rising markedly in the 3 d before parturition, correlated with rising prolactin (r = 0·986) and falling progesterone (r = –0·998). β-Lactoglobulin rose much earlier from 5 weeks prepartum, at the time when lobulo-alveolar mammary development is occurring, and correlated (r = 0·929) with oestradiol-17β. In mastectomized sows, concentrations of whey proteins in plasma were reduced by 90% or more when compared with intact animals, though following a similar pattern. This study shows that whey protein concentrations in plasma vary with physiological state and reflect aspects of the development of the mammary gland. The very different profiles for α-lactalbumin and β lactoglobulin prepartum indicate that they are differently controlled.
ISSN:0022-0299
1469-7629
DOI:10.1017/S0022029900028028