Artificial induction of lactation by hypothalamic implantation of perphenazine in virgin goats

SummaryPerphenazine (0·8–1mg) caused udder growth and artificial induction of lactation, when stereotaxically implanted into the median eminence of virgin female goats. Sham implantations into the median eminence or implantation of perphenazine into sites of the hypothalamus not in the immediate proximity of the median eminence were ineffective. Fourteen–twenty-two d after implantation the goats were milked for the first time. Maximal milk yields of 250–1050 ml/d were achieved 3–5 months later. Udder development and induction of lactation during the premilking period were exclusively due to the action of perphenazine. It is likely that after implantation the milking stimulus played a synergic role with perphenazine in the progressive increase and the maintenance of lactation. Apparently no side effects were caused by the drug. Implantation of small doses of perphenazine in the hypothalamus might be a suitable technique for studying the physiological effects of increased levels of endogenous prolactin in goats.