title: Normocalcemia without hyperparathyroidism in vitamin D-deficient rats.
abstract: Despite numerous attempts, no reliable dietary regimen exists to achieve vitamin D deficiency (-D) in rats without attendant changes in plasma parathyroid hormone (PTH), Ca, or phosphate. This represents an important obstacle to proper investigations of the physiologic role(s) of vitamin D metabolites in the function of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3] target tissues. This paper describes the successful development of such a diet, which uses a combination of high Ca content, properly controlled Ca/P ratio, and lactose. Normal weanling rats were fed diets containing A, 0.8% Ca, 0.5% P, +D3, or -D diets containing B, 0.8% Ca and 0.5% P; C, 2.0% Ca and 1.25% P; or D, 2.0% Ca, 1.25% P, and 20% lactose. After 6 diet weeks group D rats remained normocalcemic and normophosphatemic, but diet groups B and C became hypocalcemic (6.9 +/- 0.8 and 7.2 +/- 0.4 mg/dl, respectively). Thus high dietary Ca and P was incapable of maintaining normal plasma Ca levels in the absence of dietary lactose. The normocalcemia in group D was not maintained by elevated PTH secretion because N-terminal PTH levels were also normal (14 +/- 3 versus 20 +/- 5 pg/ml). In contrast, PTH levels were markedly elevated in hypocalcemic groups B and C (47 +/- 7 and 48 +/- 10 pg/ml, respectively). Plasma 25-OHD3 and 1,25-(OH)2D3 levels were reduced to less than 120 and less than 12 pg/ml, respectively, in all -D groups. Thus the high-Ca diet and the use of normal weanlings did not impede the development of vitamin D deficiency.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kollenkirchen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Walters
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D010710:Phosphates / Q000097:blood; D051381:Rats; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D010710:Phosphates; D002118:Calcium