title: Physiological significance of hormones and related substances in milk with special reference to prolactin: an overview.
abstract: Hormones from hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, pancreas, gonads and the related substances such as prostaglandins and growth factors have been detected in milk from various species. Despite their influence on human health either directly and indirectly through animal products including artificial formulas, the physiological significance of these components still remains poorly understood. Among them, prolactin is one of the first hormones detected in milk and so far much more informations on this hormone were obtained than on any other one. Furthermore, the presence of prolactin receptor and prolactin antagonist in milk has been reported. It has also been proved that perinatal exposure to prolactin occasionally shows deleterious longterm effects on mammary glands of offspring. The accumulated data suggest that milk prolactin may retard the preweaning growth, hasten the puberty, control prepubertal tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neuronal activity and influence the fluid and ion absorption from the jejunum of offspring. Moreover, intraalveolar milk prolactin may improve the lactogenesis when the quantity of blood-born prolactin is inadequate.
authors.affiliation: Experimental Animal Research Laboratory, Meiji University, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagasawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006728:Hormones / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D008892:Milk / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology*; D011388:Prolactin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones; D011388:Prolactin