Mammary Glucose Uptake in the Lactating Ewe and the Use of Methionine Arterio-Venous Difference for the Calculation of Mammary Blood Flow

Abstract

The validity of using the arterio-venous concentration difference of methionine to calculate mammary blood flow in the ewe, on the basis of the Fick principle, is discussed. Calculation of mammary blood flow in the lactating Merino ewe indicated that blood flow per unit weight of tissue and the ratio of blood flow: milk yield were approximately twice that found in the lactating cow and goat. Calculated mammary blood flow in Merino ewes was used in conjunction with glucose arterio-venous difference to determine mammary glucose uptake. Glucose uptake per unit weight of tissue in the ewe was almost double that found in the cow and goat. The ratio of mammary glucose uptake to lactose output was also higher in the ewe than that found in the cow and goat. The utilization of glucose by the mammary gland of the ewe is discussed in relation to the possible greater requirement for NADPH and glycerol for milk fat synthesis in this species.