Does parathyroid hormone play a role in lipid metabolism?

PTH activates hormone-sensitive lipolysis in adipose tissue by an adenylate cyclase mechanism. Effects on lipoprotein synthesis and catabolism are conceivable, but have not been studied in detail so far. Information on serum lipids in primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism is conflicting. Some authors find an increase of serum lipids upon administration of PTH and in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, while others find a decrease of serum cholesterol and serum triglycerides which reverts to normal upon parathyroidectomy in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. In experimental models of uremia, PTH clearly plays a permissive role for the development of uremic hyperlipemia. In PTX uremic animals, hyperlipoproteinemia is less marked than in PT-intact uremic animals, but serum lipids are still higher in PTX uremic animals than in nonuremic PT-intact animals. This would indicate that hyperlipemia is caused by PTH-independent mechanisms but is intensified by the presence of secondary hyperparathyroidism. The role of PTH in the hyperlipoproteinemia of uremic patients has not been clarified so far.