Effect of Suckling on Progesterone Secretion during Lactation in the Rat

포유중인 Rat 의 Progesterone 분비에 대한 포유 효과

This experiment was conducted to investigate how the lactation regulation such as restricted-lactation and early weaning during the suckling period influences on ovarian functions and change in serum levels of progesterone in primiparous rats. All the rats were raised in the individual cage from a few days before parturition through the suckling period. The normal lactation(NL) groups were controled 8 pups. The restricted-lactation(RL) and weaned(W) groups were subdivided into 5 subgroups as RL0, RL5, RL10, RL15 and RL20 as well as W0, W5, W10, W15, and W20 according to the day of onset of suckling. The number of pups were regulated from 8 to 4 on experimental strating day in RL gropus, and also perfectly weaned on the each on-set day in W groups. The results obtained were summarized as follows: 1. During the whole suckling period of 25 days the pups in RL group grew significantly(P＜005) faster than those in normal-lactation(NL) group. The pups in earlier RL group grew significantly(P＜0.05) faster than those in later RL rats, and there was no found any significant difference in body weight of pups between RL20 and NL group. The gestation period and litter size were found to be 21.53$\pm$0.04 days and 13.75$\pm$0.07, respectively. 2. The estrous cycle was not expressed in the NL group through the whole suckling period. An irregular estrous cycle was found around day 20 in RL0 group, and the regular estrous cycles were exhibited continuously from day 10 in the day 0 weaned rats. 3. In the rats of NL group the serum progesterone concentration increased from 33.16$\pm$2.64ng/$m\ell$ on day 0 to 122.5$\pm$53.68 ng/$m\ell$ on day 10, and then decreased slightly to 97.30$\pm$3.21 ng/$m\ell$ on day 20, but then decreased abruptly. However, the serum level of progesterone decreased greatly(P＜0.05) in 5 to 10 days following suckling restriction in the rats from which suckling began to be under restriction on day 0 or day 15. In the early weaning group the significant ( (P＜0.05) decrease in progesterone concentration was found similarly in 48 hours following weaning in all the rats weaned on day 0 through day 20. It was suggested that lactation stimulation is a very pivotal on the function of ovary.

본 연구는 초산의 Wistar 계 rat를 이용하여 포유기간 중 제한포유시기와 이유시기를 조절하여 혈중 progesterone 수준을 검토하였다. 정상포유군 (NL)은 포유자의 수를 8 마리로 조절하였으며, 제한포유군 (RL)과 완전이유군 (W)은 RL0, RL5, RL10, RL15 및 RL20, 그리고 W0, W5, W10, W15 및 W20으로 각각 5 개 군으로 구분하여, 제한포유군은 각 개시일에 포유자의 수를 8마리에서 4마리로 조절하였으며, 완전이유군은 각 개시일에 포유자의 수를 완전히 이유시켰다. 1. 포유자의 발육상태는 제한포유군에서 정상포유군보다 성장이 유의적 (P＜0.05)으로 증가하였고, 또한 분만직후 (RL0) 와 포유 5(RL5), 10(RL10), 15(RLl5) 일에 제한포유를 실시한 군에서는 시간이 경과함에 따라 정상포유군에 비해 유의적 (P＜0.05) 으로 증가하였으나, 포유 20 일(RL20) 에 제한포유군에서는 정상포유군과 차이가 없었다 . 초산 rat 의 임신기간은 21.53$\pm$0.04일이었고 산자수는 13.75$\pm$0.07 마리였다. 2. 포유기간 중 모체의 성주기 변화는 정상포유군은 발정징후가 관찰되지 않았으나 분만직후 제한포유군은 20 일을 전후하여 불규칙적인 성주기가 관찰되었고, 분만직후 완전이유군은 10일을 전후하여 정상적인 성주기가 관찰되었다. 3. 정상포유군의 progesterone 농도는 포유 0 일에 33.16$\pm$2.64ng/$m\ell$에서 포유 10 일에 122.55$\pm$3.68ng/$m\ell$ 까지 증가하여 포유 20 일까지 높은 수준을 유지하다가 그 후 25 일에 97.30$\pm$3.21ng/$m\ell$ 까지 급속히 감소 (P＜0.05) 하였다. 포유초기 (RL0, RL5)와 포유중기 (RL10)의 제한포유군은 제한포유실시 이후 5일 까지는 정상포유군과 같은 수준을 유지하다가 그 후 급격히 (P＜0.05) 감소하였다. 결론적으로 흰쥐에 있어서 분만 후 포유자의 포유자극이 모체 난소의 기능에 중요하게 작용하는 것으로 사료된다.