Absence of (Na+,K+)-ATPase involvement in lactose production by lactating guinea pig mammary gland.

The role of the (Na+, K+)-ATPase system in lactose production by the lactating guinea pig mammary gland has been studied in vitro with slices of the gland. In this system there is an initial fast lactose release, mainly representing secretion of preformed lactose, followed by a continuous slow lactose release, representing mainly lactose synthesis. The latter process occurs at a rate of 1.6 to 2.4 g lactose/kg wet wr/h, which value is about half of the lactose production in vivo (3.9 g/kg set wt/h). Incubation of slices in the presence of 10-4 M ouabain does not influence the rate of overall lactose production. When determined separately, it does not change either the rate of secretion or that of synthesis. This pleads against a role of the (Na+, K+)-ATPase system in lactose secretion or synthesis, in particular it seems to rule out control of the rates of these processes by the intracellular potassium concentration. An explanation for the generally observed correlation between the lactose and potassium concentrations in milk, may be that both the maintenance of the intracellular potassium concentration and the lactose synthesis rate require the presence of ATP.