Pregnancy decreases immunoreactive parathyroid hormone level in rats with chronic renal failure

Normal pregnancy is associated with an increase in serum parathyroid hormone and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol). The effect of pregnancy on these hormones in chronic renal failure (CRF) is unknown. The present work was undertaken to study the changes of serum immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and calcitriol in pregnant rats with CRF. The following experimental groups were studied: CRF1 (5/6 nephrectomized virgin female rats), CRF2 (5/6 nephrectomized pregnant rats at day 20–21 of pregnancy), CRF3 (5/6 nephrectomized rats 2 weeks after delivery) and their respective sham-operated control groups: N1, N2 and N3. The 5/6 nephrectomy (CRF1) resulted in renal failure with very high serum iPTH (100±18 pg/ml) and low calcitriol levels (10.6±4.3 pg/ml) compared with normal rats [N1: 14±2.5 pg/ml (P< 0.001) and 18.2±4.2 pg/ml (P< 0.01) respectively]. The pregnancy in CRF rats (CRF2) resulted in normalization of serum iPTH levels (18.2±5.41 pg/ml), which was associated with a parallel increase in serum calcitriol (29.4±8.0 pg/ml) similar to that in pregnancy of normal rats (N2). Two weeks after delivery the CRF rats (CRF3) once again had high serum iPTH (87±17 pg/ml) and low calcitriol levels (9.3±1.2 pg/ml), similar to those observed in non-pregnant uraemic rats (CRF1). It is concluded that pregnancy decreases serum iPTH in 5/6 nephrectomized CRF rats most probably by the increased level of calcitriol synthesized by the feto-placental unit.

Circulating levels of immunoreactive parathyroid hormone-related protein and intact parathyroid hormone in human fetuses and newborns

Papantoniou NE, Papapetrou PD, Antsaklis AJ, Kontoleon PE, Mesogitis SA, Aravantinos D. Circulating levels of immunoreactive parathyroid hormone-related protein and intact parathyroid hormone in human fetuses and newborns. Eur J Endocrinol 1996;134:437–42. ISSN 0804–4643 Undetectable or extremely low levels of circulating immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (PTH) have been reported in human newborns while PTH bioactivity was high. This prompted the hypothesis that the fetal calcemic hormone might be PTH-related protein. The purpose of this study was to measure circulating immunoreactive PTH-related protein in human fetuses and newborns in order to investigate this hypothesis. Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP(1–86)) and intact PTH were measured using two-site immunoradiometric assays in plasma obtained by cordocentesis from 23 fetuses (19–33 weeks of gestation), from 17 newborns at term (38–41 weeks), from their mothers and from 22 normal women of reproductive age. Plasma PTHrP was detectable in all but one of the fetuses and newborns and in all the mothers and the controls. The mean level was similar among fetuses (19–33 weeks) (0.43 ± 0.18 pmol/l), newborns (0.48 ±0.12), mothers (0.48 ±0.14) and normal controls (0.46 ± 0.09). Plasma PTH was found to be significantly higher in fetuses at midgestation (1.0 ± 0.99 pmol/l) than in the newborns (0.22 ± 0.21) (p < 0.0025); maternal PTH was significantly higher compared to fetal level at mid-gestation (2.1 ± 1.0, p < 0.01) as well as at term (2.69 ± 1.40, p < 0.001). In the control women PTH was 3.07 ± 1.25 pmol/l. These results showed that plasma amino-terminal PTHrP-(1–86)) is detectable during the second half of human fetal life and its level remains unchanged during this period of time, in contrast to changing levels of fetal plasma PTH. The relatively low PTHrP-(1–86) level that we found in the newborns is not responsible for the high PTH-like bioactivity found by some investigators in cord blood at term. Peter D Papapetrou, Second Division of Endocrinology, "Alexandra" Hospital, 80 Vas. Sofias & Lourou Streets, Athens 115 28, Greece