Effect of dietary protein on morphologic development of XXXX mammary gland.

@entity35 @entity4336 @entity2101
Isocaloric diets, containing 8% casein [low protein (LP)], 19.5% casein [normal protein (NP)], or 31% casein [ @entity2101 ( @entity2101 )] and 10% @entity4336 oil, were fed to adult virgin female @entity35 prior to conception and were continued through mating, gestation, and lactation. Female pups, 8 per litter, were fed on their mother's diet for the duration of the study. The pups' sexual maturation occurred at 33, 35, and 70 days of age for the @entity2101 , NP, and LP groups, respectively. At 7 weeks of age, duct development in the mammary gland was markedly delayed in the LP group. No significant differences in the extent of ductal development were noted between the @entity2101 and NP groups. Morphologic development into terminal end buds, alveolar buds, lobules, and terminal ducts was determined for each diet group at 7 weeks and at sexual maturity plus 3 weeks (SM+3) of age. At 7 weeks, the terminal end bud was the dominant structure in the LP group and was significantly greater in number than in the @entity2101 and NP groups. The latter groups were dominated by the alveolar bud structures. At SM+3, the number of terminal end buds decreased, and the alveolar buds increased in the LP group; however, the numbers were still significantly different than in the @entity2101 and NP groups. This study indicates that dietary protein affects mammary duct proliferation and morphologic development.
