title: The effect of prednisolone on kidney calcification in vitamin D-treated rats.
abstract: Glucocorticoids are often used to treat hypercalcemia due to vitamin D overdosage. We measured the effect of 1.5 mg/day of prednisolone on the amount of calcium deposited in the kidney of rats dosed with either 500 ng/d or 2000 ng/day of 1-alpha OHD2 or 1-alpha OHD3. The rats were given a diet containing 0.3% calcium and 0.5% phosphate. A second group of rats received 2000 ng/d of the vitamin D analogs and a diet which contained only 0.02% calcium. After 6 weeks, rats given the vitamin D analogs had two to six times more calcium in the kidney compared with the controls (0.096-0.276 mg vs. 0.240-1.064 mg). When a pharmacological dose of prednisolone was added to treatment, calcium in renal tissue increased to 0.305-3.083 mg. The urinary output of calcium seemed to be increased by prednisolone whereas the serum calcium was lowered. It appears that glucocorticoids given at the same time as vitamin D compounds increases the risk for nephrocalcinosis possibly due to increased amounts of calcium in the urine.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism*; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000633:toxicity*; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004872:Ergocalciferols / Q000633:toxicity; D006934:Hypercalcemia / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014511:Uremia / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D002136:Calcium, Dietary; D004872:Ergocalciferols; D011239:Prednisolone; D002117:Calcitriol