The influence of the parathyroid glands on the hypercalcemia of experimental magnesium depletion in the rat

Abstract

Magnesium-deficient rats develop significant hypercalcemia, hypophosphatemia, and hyperphosphaturia. These changes suggest a state of hyperparathyroidism. This study examines the regulation of parathyroid gland activity in magnesium-deficient rats. Magnesium deficiency was induced in intact and chronically parathyroidectomized animals by feeding them a diet free of this cation. Control animals were pair fed and treated identically except for the inclusion of magnesium in their gavage solution. Magnesium-deficient rats with intact parathyroid glands developed significant hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia. In addition, the concentration of ionic calcium in plasma was significantly elevated. In contrast, magnesium-deficient parathyroidectomized animals did not have a higher level of calcium in plasma than their nondeficient controls; they developed a decreased concentration of ionic calcium in the absence of a difference in the concentration of phosphate in plasma when compared with appropriate controls. The increased urinary excretion of phosphate was independent of the parathyriod status of the animals. It can be concluded that the hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia of magnesium deficiency demands parathyroid gland activity and that the regulation of this activity is modified in the magnesium-deficient state to permit the maintenance of an elevated concentration of ionic calcium in plasma. Additional explanations must be found for the hyperphosphaturia.