The influence of insulin and amino acid supply on amino acid uptake by the lactating bovine mammary gland.

Four lactating dairy cows received arterial infusions of insulin (1.41 U/h), an AA mixture (threonine, methionine, leucine, phenylalanine, and lysine at 5.87, 1.90, 3.55, 2.17, and 4.21 mmol/h, respectively), and a combination of the two in a 4 x 4 Latin square. The infusions were performed over a 3-d period directly into the extra pudic artery on both sides of the mammary gland, and samples were taken simultaneously of the downstream extra pudic arterial blood and also of subcutaneous abdominal venous blood. Blood flow was measured by dye dilution using p-amino-hippuric acid and was increased by 37% by infusion of insulin plus AA (P less than .05). Infusions of AA tended to increase the arteriovenous difference and uptake of the infused AA (P less than .05 for phenylalanine) and had varying effects on the uninfused AA. Inclusion of insulin in the AA infusion tended to increase uptake of infused AA, whereas infusions of insulin alone tended to decrease uptake. There were no significant effects of infusion on milk yield or composition.