The insulin-like growth factor I content in human milk increases between early and full lactation

The concentration of immunoreactive insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) in human mammary secretions, assayed after acid-ethanol extraction, was high [mean, 4.1 +/- 0.5 (+/- SE) nmol/L; n = 13] for several weeks prepartum. It then decreased during the first 3 days postpartum to 1.3 +/- 0.1 nmol/L (n = 28), in parallel with changes in epidermal growth factor (EGF) and protein concentrations. However, between the first and sixth weeks postpartum, the IGF-I concentration increased to 2.5 +/- 0.2 nmol/L (n = 18), while levels of EGF and protein decreased further. Given that the volume of milk produced increases during this period, the total IGF-I output rose by up to 4-fold, while EGF output remained constant. The increase in IGF-I and decrease in EGF in milk suggest that different regulatory mechanisms control the output of different growth factors by the mammary gland.