The Uptake of L-Lactate and D-Glucose by the Mammary Gland of the Cow

Abstract

Although the uptake oflarge amounts of blood glucose by the lactating mammary gland of the ruminant is well documented, there are conflicting reports on the uptake of lactate. Graham (1937) reported a mean uptake of lactate of 16·7 mgj100 ml blood by the mammary gland of goats in which the arterial concentration of lactate was unusually high. A considerably smaller uptake was found in unanaesthetized cows (Shaw, Boyd, and Petersen 1938) but the results of subsequent studies on anaesthetized cows (Shaw 1946) indicated that the mammary gland did not utilize a significant amount of blood lactate.