Relationship of the parathyroids to bone phosphorus.

Abstract

In an attempt to determine if parathyroid action on bone was directly related to the dissolution of bone crystals, rats were injected with radiostrontium and radiophosphorus at 18 hours and at 3 weeks prior to nephrectomy or nephrectomy-parathjToidectomy and peritoneal lavage. In the parathyroidectomized animals there was a decrease in both calcium and phosphorus removal during the lavage, the decrease in phosphorus being about half that of calcium. The amounts of radioactive isotopes removed by lavage were not affected by parathyroidectomy in the animals injected 18 hours prior to lavage. In the animals injected 3 weeks prior to lavage the amounts removed from the parathyroidectomized animals were less in all cases. Parathyroidectomy caused a 25% drop in radiostrontium removal and an 18% drop in radiophosphorus removal. The 2:1 decrease in weight of calcium over phosphorus removed and the 3:2 decrease in radiostrontium over radiophosphorus previously formed bone crystal. It is suggested that the parathyr...