Regulation of acute parathyroid hormone release in normal humans: combined calcium and citrate clamp study

The objective of the present study was to elucidate the dynamics of parathyroid hormone regulation, with particular reference to the mechanism controlling the acute parathyroid hormone release. Through utilization of the citrate clamp technique and the calcium clamp technique we were able, in a standardized way, to stimulate and suppress the parathyroid hormone secretion. Precise bedside measurements of blood ionized calcium and measurements of intact parathyroid hormone were performed. Twelve healthy young volunteers participated in two trials 6-12 wk apart, a citrate clamp (delta-blood ionized calcium -0.19 mmol/l) and a calcium plus citrate clamp (delta-blood ionized calcium +0.22 mmol/l and -0.19 mmol/l). During the citrate clamp, preceded by normal calcemia, serum intact parathyroid hormone peaked to a maximum after 5-10 min, four to six times above baseline concentration and then declined to a steady state two to three times above baseline concentration. During the citrate clamp, preceded by hypercalcemia induced by a calcium clamp, serum intact parathyroid hormone also peaked immediately to about five to nine times above its suppressed level, approximately two times above the baseline concentration. Subsequently, serum intact parathyroid hormone declined to a steady state just below the baseline concentration. In conclusion, within the range studied, the mechanism eliciting the acute serum intact parathyroid hormone release from its depot is a fall in blood ionized calcium, not the absolute concentration of ionized calcium.