INHIBITION OF DIPHOSPHONATE-BLOCKED BONE MINERALIZATION - EVIDENCE THAT CALCITONIN PROMOTES MINERALIZATION

There is much experimental evidence which indicates that calcitonin inhibits bone mineral resorption, but there are few data available in support of the proposal that calcitonin may also promote mineralization. Ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonate (EHDP) administered to immature rats inhibited mineralization as evidenced by widened tibial epiphyseal plates and decreased bone ash to dry weight ratios. Concurrent dosing with salmon calcitonin (SCT) prevented or reversed the EHDP-blocked mineralization in a dose dependent manner. Administration of SCT during the period after EHDP treatment significantly improved mineralization of tibial epiphyseal plates as shown by plate width narrowing and increased uptake of radioactive calcium. These results suggest that SCT increased mineralization in EHDP-treated rats, and provide supportive evidence for the proposal that calcitonin may also promote mineralization, in addition to its well known ability to inhibit bone mineral resorption.