Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1980 Apr;77(4):1818–1822. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.4.1818

Direct measurement of bone resorption and calcium conservation during vitamin D deficiency or hypervitaminosis D

Leroy Klein 1,2,3
PMCID: PMC348599  PMID: 6246506

Abstract

When bone is remodeled during the growth of a given size bone to a larger size, some bone is resorbed and some is deposited. Much of the resorbed bone mineral, calcium, can be reutilized during bone formation. The net and absolute effects of normal growth, vitamin D deficiency, or vitamin D excess were compared on bone resorption, bone formation, and calcium reutilization. Growing chicks were prelabeled extensively with three isotopes: 45Ca, [3H]tetracycline, and [3H]proline. Data were obtained weekly during 3 weeks of control growth, vitamin D deficiency, or vitamin D overdosage while on a nonradioactive diet. Bone resorption as measured by increases in the marrow (inner) diameter of the midshaft of the femur and humerus and by the weekly losses of total [3H]tetracycline and [3H]collagen per whole bone was not significantly different among any of the groups studied. The data indicated that the high rate of cortical bone resorption in experimental chicks was not increased above that observed in experimental chicks was not increased above that observed in control chicks. Vitamin D deficiency had little effect on the total 45Ca in whole bones, whereas vitamin D-treated chicks lost 40% of their 45Ca. Thus, vitamin D overdosage resulted in a decrease of 45Ca reutilization, whereas vitamin D deficiency resulted in an apparent increase of 45Ca reutilization. Both vitamin D-deficient and vitamin D-treated chicks had a decreased accumulation of dietary calcium per whole bone. The insufficient mineral mass in vitamin D-deficient chicks resulted from the indirect inhibition of bone mineralization due to the low intestinal absorption of calcium rather than from a change in bone resorption. In vitamin D-treated chicks the apparent bone atrophy and net loss of 45Ca from bone resulted from inhibiting bone matrix formation and mineralization instead of increasing bone resorption. The constancy of bone resorption under these experimental conditions suggests that bone mineralization is the major regulator of bone mass.

Keywords: [3H]tetracycline, collagen, chicks, growth modeling, kinetics

Full text

PDF
1818

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Arnold J. S., Bartley M. H., Tont S. A., Jenkins D. P. Skeletal changes in aging and disease. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1966 Nov-Dec;49:17–38. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Avioli L. V. Controversies regarding uremia and acquired defects in vitamin D3 metabolism. Kidney Int Suppl. 1978 Jun;(8):S36–S38. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. BAUER G. C. The importance of bone growth as a factor in the redistribution of bone salt. I. Redistribution of radio-active calcium in the skeleton of rats. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1954 Apr;36(A2):375–380. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Baylink D., Stauffer M., Wergedal J., Rich C. Formation, mineralization, and resorption of bone in vitamin D-deficient rats. J Clin Invest. 1970 Jun;49(6):1122–1134. doi: 10.1172/JCI106328. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. CHURCH L. E., JOHNSON L. C. GROWTH OF LONG BONES IN THE CHICKEN. RATES OF GROWTH IN LENGTH AND DIAMETER OF THE HUMERUS, TIBIA, AND METATARSUS. Am J Anat. 1964 May;114:521–538. doi: 10.1002/aja.1001140310. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Chen P. S., Jr, Bosmann H. B. Comparison of the hypercalcemic action of vitamins D2 and D3 in chicks and the effect on tetracycline fixation by bone. J Nutr. 1965 Oct;87(2):148–154. doi: 10.1093/jn/87.2.148. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Chen T. L., Klein L. Fetal rat bone in organ culture: effect of bone growth and bone atrophy on the comparative losses of 45Ca and 3H-tetracycline. Calcif Tissue Res. 1978 Aug 18;25(3):255–263. doi: 10.1007/BF02010779. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. HARRISON H. E., HARRISON H. C. The uptake of radiocalcium by the skeleton: the effect of vitamin D and calcium intake. J Biol Chem. 1950 Aug;185(2):857–867. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hansen J. W., Gordan G. S., Prussin S. G. Direct measurement of osteolysis in man. J Clin Invest. 1973 Feb;52(2):304–315. doi: 10.1172/JCI107186. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kelly P. J. Bone remodeling in puppies with experimental rickets. J Lab Clin Med. 1967 Jul;70(1):94–105. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Klein L., Jackman K. V. Assay of bone resorption in vivo with 3H-tetracycline. Calcif Tissue Res. 1976 Jun 14;20(3):275–290. doi: 10.1007/BF02546415. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Klein P. D., Eisler W. J., Jr An improved description of separation and performance capabilities of liquid scintillation counters used in dual isotope studies. Anal Chem. 1966 Oct;38(11):1453–1457. doi: 10.1021/ac60243a003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kövér G. Effect of hypercalcaemia on tubular calcium and phosphate transport. Acta Physiol Acad Sci Hung. 1974;45(1-2):95–107. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Morgan P. P., Sherrington A. Where have all the editorialists gone? Can Med Assoc J. 1981 Jul 15;125(2):131–131. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. RAISZ L. G. BONE RESORPTION IN TISSUE CULTURE. FACTORS INFLUENCING THE RESPONSE TO PARATHYROID HORMONE. J Clin Invest. 1965 Jan;44:103–116. doi: 10.1172/JCI105117. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Triffitt J. T., Terepka A. R., Neuman W. F. A comparative study of the exchange in vivo of major constituents of bone mineral. Calcif Tissue Res. 1968 Oct 21;2(2):165–176. doi: 10.1007/BF02279205. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. URIST M. R., IBSEN K. H. CHEMICAL REACTIVITY OF MINERALIZED TISSUE WITH OXYTETRACYCLINE. Arch Pathol. 1963 Nov;76:484–496. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Van Jackman K., Klein L., Lacey S. H. Recovery and determination of 3H-tetracycline from whole bones. Biochem Med. 1973 Aug;8(1):114–122. doi: 10.1016/0006-2944(73)90015-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Wong K., Klein L., Zollinger R. M., Jr Differential effects of parathyroid hormone and vitamin D on bone 45Ca vs intestinal 40Ca in maintaining serum calcium in dogs. Surg Forum. 1979;30:100–102. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Zika J. M., Klein L. Comparison of whole calvarial bones and long bones during early growth in rats. Histology and collagen composition. Calcif Tissue Res. 1975 Jul 25;18(2):101–110. doi: 10.1007/BF02546230. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES