Endocrine Abstracts

Lactation promotes infant development and confers long-term health benefits to mothers and infants. However, the endocrine and paracrine mechanisms mediating milk synthesis remain to be fully elucidated. Hormones such as prolactin and progesterone trigger the onset of lactation, whereas local mammary factors are considered to play a greater role in the maintenance of milk synthesis. We hypothesised that mammary epithelial cytokines are required for established lactation, and u...