Abstract
Summary and Conclusions
PTX rats, 6 hours after injection of hydrocortisone, exhibited more pronounced hypocalcemia than PTX controls. In non-PTX rats the serum Ca was not lowered after injection of the steroid. Comparing the effect of graded doses of bovine PTE (5–90 U.S.P. units) upon the serum Ca of PTX, hydrocortisone-injected rats and of PTX controls 3.5 times more PTE had to be administered to the hydrocortisone-injected group to sustain normal serum Ca concentrations in the 2 groups of PTX animals. Thus it appears that the parathyroids of hydrocortisone-injected rats secrete about 3 times more hormone than those of non-injected controls. The serum Ca-lowering effect of hydrocortisone was not a transient one and was demonstrable after 3 weeks of daily treatment. The effect of hydrocortisone upon the blood Ca of PTX rats was not mediated by circulating citrate.
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