Prolactin (rat) EIA Kit

Prolactin is a 199 amino acid (23 kDa) neuropeptide best known for its role in the initiation and maintenance of lactation. The hormone is secreted by the lactotrophic cells of the anterior pituitary. Prolactin concentrations in the circulation rise continually from the fifth week of pregnancy until parturition, reaching a level greater than 150 ng/ml, which is approximately 10 times the levels prior to conception. The phenotypes of prolactin knockout animals indicate that milk production and reproductive properties of prolactin cannot be taken over by other hormones or cytokines. However, numerous other biological roles of prolactin, in areas such as water and electrolyte balance, growth and development, metabolism, behavior, and immunoregulation, have been described. The facts that prolactin is found in all vertebrates, not only mammals, and that the prolactin receptor is expressed in virtually all organs or tissues, also point to functions other than lactation.