Vol 118, No 1 (Supplement) 2013
Original Article

Milk-borne relaxin and reproductive system development

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  • Carol A. Bagnell,
  • Frank F. Bartol

Published 2014-01-11

Keywords

  • relaxin,
  • milk,
  • uterus

How to Cite

Bagnell, C. A., & Bartol, F. F. (2014). Milk-borne relaxin and reproductive system development. Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology, 118(1), 15–16. Retrieved from https://oajournals.fupress.net/index.php/ijae/article/view/3204
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Abstract

A window of opportunity for maternal programming of neonatal development is open in the first few days of life as a consequence of nursing. Colostrum (first milk) supports neonatal development by providing a conduit for delivery of milk-borne bioactive factors, exemplified by relaxin, from mother to offspring as proposed in the lactocrine hypothesis. Relaxin, a prototypical milk-borne bioactive factor, is detectable in colostrum from multiple species, including the pig. Thus, relaxin serves as a model for understanding lactocrine signals that support development of neonatal tissues.

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