Can Prolactin Supplementation Alleviate Impaired Metabolic Activity of Lactating Rats Exposed to Hypergravity?
E. I. Zakrzewska1, L. Lintault1, T. Casey1, R. Maple1, A. Ronca2, L. Baer3, C. Wade4, and K. Plaut5 .1Animal Sci. UVM, Burlington, VT , 2Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC,, 3NASA-ARC, Moffett Field, CA, 44USA ISR, Fort Sam Huston, TX, 5Animal Sci. MSU, East Lansing, MI We previously observed that lactating dams centrifuged at 2.0-g (HG) displayed reduced metabolic activity of mammary, liver and adipose tissues and high mortality of pups within 48h after birth. Previous reports attributed this to the lack of Prl at lactogenesis. We hypothesized that Prl infusions of HG dams would improve mammary metabolism resulting in increased survival of the offspring, and Prl reduction, induced by bromocryptine (BC) would mimic metabolic activity in tissues of HG dams. Pregnant rats (day 11 of gestation; G11) were divided into HG and stationary control (SC). Beginning on G13, experimental groups received 2mg of Prl (Prl-HG), 0.5 mg of BC (BC-HG), or diluent (VC-SC and VC H
