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Effects of calcitonin on limb blood vessels in human obstructive arterial disease
Insights
Calcitonin treatment improved subjective symptoms and instrumental parameters in patients with obstructive arterial disease, suggesting a vasoactive effect. This study highlights calcitonin
Area of Science:
- Vascular Medicine
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Obstructive arterial disease in lower extremities can lead to significant morbidity.
- The potential vasoactive effects of calcitonin in humans are not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the vasoactive potential of calcitonin in patients with obstructive arterial disease.
- To assess the impact of calcitonin on subjective symptoms and objective vascular parameters.
Main Methods:
- Ten patients with obstructive arterial disease received 100 units of calcitonin intramuscularly daily for 15 days.
- Subjective symptoms, Raynaud's phenomenon, and various plethysmography parameters (segmental, venous-occlusion, digital photoelectric) were assessed before, during, and after treatment, with a placebo period included.
- Instrumental parameters were evaluated under basal conditions, after an ischemic test, and after a cold test.
Main Results:
- Calcitonin treatment led to subjective symptom improvement and resolution of Raynaud's phenomenon.
- Segmental plethysmography showed a significant increase in values compared to baseline and placebo.
- Digital photoelectric plethysmography demonstrated a significantly lesser reduction in values after cold exposure compared to baseline and placebo, indicating improved cutaneous flow.
Conclusions:
- Calcitonin exhibits vasoactive properties in humans with obstructive arterial disease.
- The findings suggest calcitonin improves collateral limb circulation and cutaneous blood flow.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the precise mechanism of calcitonin's vasoactive effect.
Abstract:
To check the possibility of a vasoactive effect of calcitonin in man, the authors treated ten hospitalized patients (seven males and three females, mean age 66.3 +/- 3.24), suffering from obstructive arterial disease in the lower extremities, with 100 units M.R.C. i.m. daily, for a period of 15 days. Five patients presented Raynaud's phenomenon. Treatment (B) led to an improvement of subjective symptomatology and to the disappearance of Raynaud's phenomenon in comparison with symptoms before treatment (A) and after a placebo period of 15 days (C). With respect to instrumental parameters, calcitonin induced: a) a slight increase of segmental plethysmography values (height/width ratio of curves) if compared with A (p less than 0.05) and more significantly if compared with C (p less than 0.01 and less than 0.0125, from right and left sides, respectively); b) a small change in venous-occlusion plethysmography values, if compared with A and C, both in basal conditions and after the "ischaemic test"; c) a significantly lesser reduction of digital photoelectric plethysmography values (height/width ratio of curves) after the "cold test" in comparison with A (p less than 0.01, both on the second and on the third fingers of the right hand), as well as with C (p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.025, on the second and on the third fingers, respectively). The present investigation points out the vasoactive influence of calcitonin in human obstructive disease. Results show the improvement in collateral limb circulation and, above all, in the amount of cutaneous flow. Little information is available on the mechanism of this effect, for which only hypotheses can at present be advanced.