Factors Affecting Mammary Gland Cell Numbers

The number of milk-synthesizing cells is one of the basic elements that limit milk production. For example, estimates of the correlation coefficient between total mammary cell numbers and milk production range between 0.50 and 0.85 (13, 50). In addition to the milk-producing epithelial cells other cells present in the mammary gland, i.e., leukocytes, fibroblasts, and lipid connective tissue cells, complicate our estimates of mammary cell numbers. Nonetheless,