Although there is some evidence suggesting the involvement of the sympathoadrenal system in the mammary gland function, the precise mechanism by which adrenergic agents may influence galactopoietic processes is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the reported decrease in milk and organic substance content after catecholamine administration might be due to the inhibition of protein synthesis. For that purpose, the incorporation of 3H-leucine into the secretory cells of the mammary gland of lactating mice under the influence of the alpha-adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine and the beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoproterenol, respectively, was studied by light microscopic autoradiography. Tissue radioactivity as a whole was measured by liquid scintillation counting. It was shown that neither the alpha- nor the beta-agonist simultaneously given with the labeled amino acid were able to change the amount of radioactivity taken up by the mammary gland. From this result it is concluded that a transitory increase in catecholamine concentration in the blood has no effect on mammary gland protein synthesis.