Effects of metabolic acidosis on PTH and 1,25(OH)2D3 response to low calcium diet

To study the effects of chronic metabolic acidosis on the metabolism of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] rats were given either a low calcium diet (LCD) (0.002% calcium) or chow (1.2% calcium); ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) was added (1 or 1.5%) to the drinking water of some rats eating LCD or chow while others served as nonacidotic controls. LCD increased circulating 1,25(OH)2D3 levels from 46 +/- 14 to 204 +/- 24 pg/ml (P less than 0.001) in the absence of NH4Cl; 1.5% NH4Cl prevented the increase in 1,25(OH)2D3 (25 +/- 6 vs. 27 +/- 8 pg/ml (P, NS) but 1% NH4Cl did not (50 +/- 12 vs. 161 +/- 23 pg/ml; P less than 0.001). Acidosis suppressed neither serum immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (PTH) nor urine cAMP response to LCD. Although total serum calcium and phosphorus showed no regular changes with NH4Cl, acidosis raised blood ionized calcium in rats fed either chow or LCD, and serum 1,25(OH)2D3 levels were inversely correlated with ionized calcium (r = 0.714; P less than 0.001) during LCD. Chronic NH4Cl acidosis prevented serum 1,25(OH)2D3 from rising during LCD, independent of changes in PTH secretion, cAMP generation, or serum phosphorus. The absence of a 1,25(OH)2D3 response may be due to increased ionized calcium produced by acidosis.