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Phagocytic capacity of leucocytes in sheep mammary secretions following weaning
Author(s) -
Tatarczuch Liliana,
Bischof Robert J.,
Philip Christopher J.,
Lee CheeSeong
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of anatomy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.932
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1469-7580
pISSN - 0021-8782
DOI - 10.1046/j.0021-8782.2002.00104.x
Subject(s) - involution (esoterism) , phagocytosis , mammary gland , biology , weaning , immune system , udder , lactation , immunology , mastitis , endocrinology , microbiology and biotechnology , pregnancy , consciousness , genetics , cancer , neuroscience , breast cancer
Lactating animals are particularly susceptible to mastitis during the early stages of mammary gland involution following weaning. In this study we compared the phagocytic capacity of cells collected from sheep mammary secretions at different stages of involution. The ability of neutrophils and macrophages to ingest latex beads in an in vitro phagocytosis assay was found to be dependent on how heavily the phagocytes were loaded with milk constituents. There was a decline in the phagocytic capacity of neutrophils from 1 to 2 days after weaning, while macrophages collected from fully involuted glands were more effective phagocytes compared with earlier stages (7–15 days) of involution. In addition, dendritic cells present in fully involuted mammary gland secretions (30 days after weaning) were highly phagocytic. These studies demonstrate that neutrophils and macrophages in sheep mammary secretions at early stages of involution are incapacitated, and as such may compromise the immune status of the mammary gland.