Effects of elevated blood insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentration upon IGF-I in bovine mammary secretions during the colostrum phase

Abstract

ABSTRACT The objectives of these studies were to determine if the concentration of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in mammary colostrum secretions could be altered through manipulation of IGF-I concentrations in blood and to compare the temporal changes of IGF-I in mammary secretions to those occurring for IgG1. Milking of 15 pregnant Holstein cows was stopped at 8 weeks prepartum and they were randomly assigned to one of three treatments. A control (C) treatment consisted of feeding the animals 100% of NRC requirements for protein and energy. A second group of cows was fed as the control group and injected with 1·8 μmol bovine GH/day. The third group was fed at 70% of NRC requirements for protein and energy to cause a moderate nutrient restriction (NR). Body weight was measured weekly. Blood was collected by tail venepuncture at 4 h intervals for 24 h. Mammary secretions were collected and pooled among contralateral front and rear quarters (diagonal) for measurement of volume, IGF-I and IgG1 concentrations. Samples were collected at −7, −5, −2, 0 and 1 week postpartum. Cows on the NR treatment failed to gain weight during the dry period compared with C cows (P < 0·05). Blood GH and IGF-I concentrations (P > 0·1) were unaffected by NR treatment. Cows treated with GH had higher (P < 0·01) serum GH and IGF-I levels throughout the entire treatment period, and higher serum IgG1 at 5 and 2 weeks prepartum (P < 0·01). Total mass of IGF-I secreted per diagonal averaged 3·6-fold greater for GH-treated cows during the prepartum period than C and NR cows (P < 0·01). The concentration of IGF-I in mammary secretions was not affected by treatment during the prepartum period, but was 40% greater (P < 0·05) in GH-treated cows than C and NR cows at parturition. Analysis of a selective index comparing IGF-I secretion with that of IgG1 suggested that IGF-I does not enter mammary secretions by passive diffusion from blood. Journal of Endocrinology (1993) 137, 223–230