Effect of fasting and parathyroid hormone injection on plasma 45Ca concentrations in rats

Young male rats were administered 45Ca 5 days to 2 weeks prior to use. All rats were either parathyroidectomized (PTX) or thyroparathyroidectomized (TPTX) and given several days to recover from surgery. The first group of rats were maintained on a 12 h dark-fed and 12 h light-fasted daily cycle. The remainder of the rats were used for parathyroid hormone (PTH) studies (0.1-0.6U/g body weight) following which blood samples were obtained from the tail for 1 to 6 h. Two groups of these rats were bilaterally nephrectomized 18 h before PTH injection. Two contrasting results were obtained: in PTX (or TPTX) rats maintained on the closely regulated food and light regime, plasma 45Ca concentrations rose markedly each day at the start of the fasting period and then fell slowly. Total plasma calcium values fell throughout the fasting period. A similar rise and fall was also observed in 45Ca values of rats experimentally fasted after being maintained with food continuously available. In contrast, in all PTX or TPTX rats, PTH injections was followed by an equal rise in both plasma calcium and 45Ca values so that for the first few hours plasma 45Ca specific acitvity was unchanged. These data are consistent with the concept of a bone fluid compartment (BFC) separated by a cellular interface from the primary extracellular fluid space (ecf). It is postulated that through this cellular interface calcium is actively "pumped" from the BFC to the ECF. The rise in plasma 45Ca values at the start of fasting is explained on the basis of decreased entry of stable calcium from the gastrointestinal tract and a continued movement of calcium and 45Ca from the BFC to the ECF. The concomitant increase in plasma calcium and 45Ca during the first few hours after PTH injection is explained by a rapid action of PTH to increase the rate of calcium movement from BFC to ECF by its action at the cellular interface, without altering 45Ca specific activity until such time as dissolution of bone crystals is required as a supply of calcium.