Effect of prolactin on lipoprotein lipase in crop sac and adipose tissue of pigeons.

The effect of prolactin on lipoprotein lipase activity of crop sac, omental adipose tissue, and esophagus was studied in adult female pigeons. Prolactin injected for 4 days, 1 mg/day, increased lipoprotein lipase activity from 17 to 177 U/g in crop sac and from 68 to 118 U/g in adipose tissue, but had no effect on the activity in esophagus, 4 U/g. (10 = 1 mumol of chylomicron triglyceride hydrolyzed to free fatty acid and glycerol per hour.? Prolactin increased the weight of crop sac from 1.4 to 7.2 G. The effect of prolactin on lipoprotein lipase activity and weight of crop sac occurred mostly during the 3rd and 4th days of treatment, whereas the effect on the activity of adipose tissue occurred later, during the 4th day of treatment. Crop "milk" collected from pigeons injected with 2 mg of prolactin daily for 4 days contained a small amount of lipoprotein lipase activity, 12 U/g, is smaller than 10% of that found in crop sac. The finding of markedly increased lipoprotein lipase activity in crop sac of prolactin-treated pigeons suggests that blood triglyceride may be used by crop sac for the formation of crop milk lipid.