- Lactiferous duct
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Lactiferous duct Cross section of the breast of a human female. Dissection of a lactating breast.
1 - Fat
2 - Lactiferous duct/lobule
3 - Lobule
4 - Connective tissue
5 - Sinus of lactiferous duct
6 - Lactiferous ductLatin ductus lactiferi Gray's subject #271 1268 Lactiferous ducts lead from the lobules of the mammary gland to the tip of the nipple. They are also referred to as galactophores, galactophorous ducts, mammary ducts, mamillary ducts and milk ducts. They are structures which carry milk toward the nipple in a lactating female.
Lactiferous duct: the complex series of ducts is a system within the breast that drains into a main duct, the lactiferous duct, which ends at the nipple via a secretory pore. The large and intermediate ducts are lined by columnar epithelium supported by myoepithelial cells. Within the areola, the lactiferous duct dilates to form the lactiferous sinus in which milk accumulates in a nursing mother. When a woman is not lactating,the lacterfeous duct is blocked by a keratin plug. This mechanical barrier prevents bacteria from entering the duct in non-lactating women.
See also
Additional images
External links
- Lactiferous+duct at eMedicine Dictionary
Female breast (TA A16.0.02, GA 11.1267) Nipple/Areola Areolar glands · Crista supraareolaris (only fusiform breast)Mammary glands Lactiferous duct · LobeForms Mamma fusiformis · Mamma spherica · Mamma conicaOther This anatomy article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.