Hypotensive action of parathyroid hormone in hypoparathyroid and hyperparathyroid rats

Experimental and clinical data suggest an association between chronic hyperparathyroidism and hypertension, but acute infusion of parathyroid hormone causes vasodilation and hypotension. These observations imply that chronic and acute parathyroid states affect blood pressure through different mechanism(s), either by modification of vascular receptors or by an ionophoretic effect of parathyroid hormone. The effect of parathyroid status induced by dietary calcium manipulations or by surgical ablation of the parathyroid gland on the hypotensive response of parathyroid hormone infusion was studied in rats. At 4 weeks of age 24 male rats were divided into four equal groups. Three groups were sham-operated, and one group was thyroparathyroidectomized. Only the thyroparathyroidectomized group was treated with thyroxine, 10 micrograms/kg/day. The control and thyroparathyroidectomized groups were raised on a 1.4% calcium diet; the other two groups were raised on 0.005% and 2.8% calcium diets. After 8 weeks on the diets, parathyroid hormone was infused through a venous cannula at 5 and 10 micrograms/kg doses and blood pressure was measured through arterial cannulas. The results indicate that hyperparathyroidism and hypocalcemia induced by the low calcium diet attenuated the hypotensive response to parathyroid hormone compared with responses in rats raised on a 1.4% calcium diet. In hypoparathyroid rats (2.8% Ca diet) with hypercalcemia, the hypotensive response was also reduced. However, in hypoparathyroid (thyroparathyroidectomized) rats with hypocalcemia, the hypotensive response was enhanced. The data suggest that chronic parathyroid status, as well as hypercalcemia, alters the hypotensive response to parathyroid hormone infusion, presumably by altering the vascular parathyroid hormone receptors or by some other mechanism.