Pharmacological effects of several drugs on the myoepithelium and the vascular smooth muscle of the lactating mammary gland in goats.

The present experiments were performed to investigate whether the responses of the myoepithelium to several drugs would be of a parallel nature with those of the vascular smooth muscle in the lactating mammary gland of goats. The drugs were injected into the mammary artery. Kallikrein, bradykinin, oxytocin, and acetylcholine caused marked milk-ejection with vasodilation in a dose-dependent manner. Marked milk-ejections with high doses of oxytocin were observed despite of accompanying vasoconstriction. The relative order of their potency in milk-ejection activity was kallikrein greater than bradykinin greater than oxytocin greater than acetylcholine: 1 greater than 1/100 greater than 3/1000 greater than 5/1000000. As for the vasodilator activity, the relative potency of the drugs was in the same order: 1 greater than 1/10 greater than 1/1000 greater than 1/10000. Catecholamines, histamine, serotonin, angiotensin-II, vasopressin and high doses of prostaglandin E2 caused dose-dependent vasoconstriction. Isoprenaline, pilocarpine, adenosine, PGI2 and low doses of PGE2 caused dose-dependent vasodilation. But these drugs did not affect milk-ejection. PGE1 decreased milk-ejection and was accompanied by vasodilation. From these experiments it is suggested that the relative order of the potency of secretagogues in milk-ejection activity and in vasodilator activity is nearly equal. It is also suggested that some drugs are different in their effects on the myoepithelium and on the vascular smooth muscle of the lactating mammary gland.