Metabolic fate of administered 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol in controls and in patients with hypoparathyroidism

In four healthy controls and three patients with hypoparathyroidism serum-1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25-D.H.C.C.) concentrations, after oral or intravenous administration, declined biphasically with a rapid-phase half-time of about 14 hours. Repeated oral doses of 1 mug 1,25-D.H.C.C. (2-4 nmol) produced serum concentrations well below the assayed normal range but were nevertheless effective in raising serum-calcium. It is suggested that orally administered 1,25-D.H.C.C. acts directly on the intestinal mucosal-cell nucleus to promote calcium absorption. 1,25-D.H.C.C. is more rapidly eliminated from the body than vitamin D, and it is predicted that any hypercalcaemia caused by 1,25-D.H.C.C. therapy should be of relatively short duration.