Metabolic aspects of bone resorption in calcium-deficient lactating rats

Lactating female rats were fed diets containing 1.0, 0.1, or 0.04% Ca for 21 days. Fat-free dry weight, ash weight, calcium and phosphorus content of the humerus, plasma calcium levels, and bone acid and alkaline phosphatase activities were compared to those of nonlactating rats fed the same diets. Bone, plasma, and urinary cAMP levels were also studied. Dietary calcium deficiency and/or lactation caused significant loss of bone mass from experimental animals. Urinary cAMP levels reflecting increased parathyroid activity were elevated by the stresses of lactation and calcium deficiency over those of control animals. Plasma and bone levels of cAMP were not different. Bone alkaline and acid phosphatase activities were affected only by the most extreme stress. The results demonstrated that the calcium-deficient lactating rat is an excellent model for bone resorption studies.