Uptake of free plasma amino acids by the lactating cow's udder and amino acid composition of udder lymph

1. Total α-amino N and the amounts of 24 ninhydrin-positive substances were determined in several samples of plasma and lymph from the cow's udder. The arteriovenous differences of these substances across the mammary glands were measured in several experiments performed on lactating cows and in one experiment on a `dry' cow. Udder lymph obtained from live lactating cows by a lymph fistula and taken after killing lactating cows was analysed. 2. The concentrations of the individual free amino acids in udder lymph obtained from the live cow were similar to those found in cow's plasma. The concentrations of many amino acids in udder lymph taken immediately after death were two- to four-fold higher than those of the corresponding amino acids in udder lymph obtained from the live cow. 3. Most amino acids of the blood showed a considerable decrease in concentration by passage across the lactating mammary gland. Ornithine, a non-casein amino acid, showed arteriovenous differences of up to 60% of the arterial plasma concentration. No substantial amino acid uptake by the udder could be demonstrated in the experiment on the non-lactating cow. 4. The arteriovenous differences obtained for arginine, glutamine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, valine, threonine and histidine were probably large enough to provide all the respective amino acid residues in milk protein. 5. The uptake of aspartic acid, asparagine, glutamic acid, serine and proline by the lactating cow's udder was not sufficient to account for all these respective amino acid residues found in milk protein.