title: Regulation of the vitamin D endocrine system located in the kidney.
abstract: During the past decade, it has been clearly established that the kidney is an endocrine organ which converts 25-hydroxyvitamin D to the active hormone 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. The kidney and intestine are the sites of an alternative hydroxylation which places an 24 hydroxyl in the R position on either 25-hydroxyvitamin D or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. The production of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D is stimulated by hypocalcemia through the parathyroid gland, hypophosphatemia, the sex hormones and the peptide hormones insulin and prolactin. This vitamin D based endocrine system is of central importance in regulating calcium and phosphorus metabolism and its disturbances result in a variety of pathological conditions.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D004100:Dihydroxycholecalciferols / Q000378:metabolism; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D006801:Humans; D006887:Hydroxycholecalciferols / Q000378:metabolism; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D007668:Kidney / Q000502:physiology*; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000503:physiopathology; D008954:Models, Biological; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004100:Dihydroxycholecalciferols; D006887:Hydroxycholecalciferols; D014807:Vitamin D; D002118:Calcium