Serotonin stimulates adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate accumulation in parathyroid adenoma

The effect of serotonin on cAMP accumulation in parathyroid adenoma tissue from patients with primary hyperparathyroidism was studied in vitro. Incubation with 10(-5) M serotonin elicited a marked increase (of 90--150%) in cAMP content in slices of parathyroid adenoma tissue. This stimulatory effect of serotonin was already apparent after 2 min of incubation; stimulation by serotonin was dose dependent, with the highest stimulation being achieved at 10(-4) M serotonin. The serotonin antagonists, methylsergide and cinanserin, in concentrations equimolar to serotonin completely blocked the stimulatory effect of serotonin on cAMP increase. The serotonin content in surgically removed parathyroid adenoma tissue, as determined by fluorometric assay, was 6.4 +/- 1.2 pmol/mg wet wt (approximately 0.8 x 10(-5) M). The present observations demonstrate that parathyroid adenoma tissue has a high content of serotonin, and serotonin stimulates cAMP accumulation in this tissue. Since cAMP acts as a mediator of parathyroid hormone (PTH) release, our results suggest that serotonin could be one of the factors regulating PTH secretion and/or contributing to PTH hypersecretion in various forms of primary hyperparathyroidism.