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Mariano Rodríguez

Publications and source records attributed to Mariano Rodríguez.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Regulation of parathyroid vitamin D receptor expression by extracellular calcium.

Low extracellular calcium (Ca) stimulates parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion and also increases the renal synthesis of calcitriol (CTR), which is known to decrease PTH production. This study began with the hypothesis that the parathyroid cell response to CTR may be modulated by extracellular Ca concentration through an effect on parathyroid cell vitamin D receptor (VDR). In the present study, rat parathyroid glands were incubated in low (0.6 mM) and high (1.5 mM) Ca concentration. The parathyroid VDRmRNA was higher in 1.5 than 0.6 mM Ca. Furthermore, this effect was not observed in incubated slices of kidney cortex and medulla, tissues which also possess both Ca and vitamin D receptors. Experiments were also performed to evaluate the effect of Ca on VDR expression in vivo. Male Wistar rats received intraperitoneal injections of CaCl(2) or a single intramuscular injection of EDTA to obtain 6 h of hypercalcemic (ionized Ca, 1.4 to 1.6 mM) or hypocalcemic (ionized Ca, 0.85 to 0.95 mM) clamp; a third group of rats was used as control. A small dose of CTR was administered to hypercalcemic rats to match the serum CTR levels of hypocalcemic rats. Parathyroid gland VDRmRNA and VDR protein were increased in hypercalcemic rats as compared with hypocalcemic rats. Increasing doses of CTR upregulated VDRmRNA and VDR only in hypercalcemic rats. Additional experiments showed that the decrease in VDR in hypocalcemic rats prevented the inhibitory effect of CTR on PTHmRNA. In conclusion, our study shows that extracellular Ca regulates VDR expression by parathyroid cells independently of CTR and that by this mechanism hypocalcemia may prevent the feedback of CTR on the parathyroids.

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Regulation of arachidonic acid production by intracellular calcium in parathyroid cells: effect of extracellular phosphate.

The action of extracellular calcium on the calcium receptor in parathyroid cells results in activation of phospholipase C (PLC), PLD, and PLA(2). The PLA(2)-arachidonic acid (AA) intracellular signaling pathway mediates inhibition of parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion. In addition, stimulation of the calcium receptor produces increases in intracellular calcium levels. It was demonstrated that high extracellular phosphate levels reduce the production of AA, a mechanism by which phosphate may stimulate PTH secretion. The objective was to determine, in parathyroid tissue, whether AA production is stimulated by increases in intracellular calcium levels and to investigate whether the decreased AA production induced by high extracellular phosphate levels could be modified by increases in intracellular calcium levels. Experiments were performed in vitro using parathyroid tissue. The intracellular calcium level was increased by incubation with an ionophore (A23187), which increases calcium influx across the cell membrane, or thapsigargin, which releases calcium from intracellular stores. The phosphate concentration in the medium was normal (1 mM) or high (4 mM). The response to calcium was evaluated by incubation with 0.6 or 1.35 mM calcium concentrations. AA production by parathyroid tissue was measured by gas chromatography. In parathyroid tissue incubated with either a calcium ionophore or thapsigargin, there was an increase in AA production, together with inhibition of PTH secretion, suggesting that PLA(2) is activated by the elevation in intracellular calcium levels. Therefore, the effect of intracellular calcium level elevation on AA production in the presence of high extracellular phosphate levels was evaluated. The results demonstrate that, despite high phosphate levels in the medium, both the ionophore and thapsigargin were capable of inducing a marked increase in AA production, which was associated with a decrease in PTH secretion. In conclusion, in parathyroid tissue, AA levels can be regulated by an ionophore and thapsigargin, both of which increase cytosolic calcium concentrations. The stimulation of PTH secretion by high phosphate levels can be prevented by increases in intracellular calcium levels.

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The in vitro effect of calcitriol on parathyroid cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Calcitriol treatment is used to reduce parathyroid hormone levels in azotemic patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT). Whether long-term calcitriol administration reduces parathyroid gland size in patients with severe secondary hyperparathyroidism is not clear. The aim of the study was to evaluate in vitro the effect of calcitriol on parathyroid cell proliferation and apoptosis in normal parathyroid glands and in adenomatous and hyperplastic human parathyroid glands. Freshly harvested parathyroid glands from normal dogs and hyperplastic and adenomatous glands from patients with secondary (2 degrees) and primary (1 degree) HPT undergoing parathyroidectomy were studied. Flow cytometry was used to quantify the cell cycle and apoptosis of parathyroid cells. Apoptosis was also evaluated by DNA electrophoresis and light and electron microscopy. In normal dog parathyroid glands, culture with calcitriol (10(-10) to 10(-7) M) for 24 h produced a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the progression of cells into the cell cycle and into apoptosis. When glands from patients with 2 degrees HPT were cultured for 24 h, only high calcitriol concentrations (10(-7) M) inhibited the progression through the cell cycle and the induction of apoptosis. In parathyroid adenomas (1 degrees HPT), even a high concentration of calcitriol (10(-7) M) had no significant effect on the cell cycle or apoptosis. The present study shows that in vitro, calcitriol inhibits in a dose-dependent manner in normal parathyroid glands both parathyroid cell proliferation and apoptosis. However, in secondary hyperplasia, only high concentrations of calcitriol inhibited cell proliferation and apoptosis. In 1 degree HPT, even high concentrations of calcitriol had no effect. Because calcitriol simultaneously inhibits both cell proliferation and apoptosis, a reduction in the parathyroid gland mass may not occur as a direct effect of calcitriol treatment.

Adenoma↗

Effect of high extracellular phosphate concentration on arachidonic acid production by parathyroid tissue in vitro.

Recent in vivo and in vitro studies show that high phosphate directly stimulates parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion. However, little is known about the intracellular signaling system involved in the regulation of PTH secretion by extracellular phosphate. High extracellular calcium is coupled to the activation of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) and the formation of arachidonic acid (AA), a potent inhibitor of PTH release. The present study was designed to evaluate whether a high phosphate concentration has an effect on the PLA(2)-AA pathway in parathyroid cells. In vitro experiments were performed in parathyroid tissue obtained from normal rats and dogs. AA production was measured in parathyroid tissue in response to 1- and 4-mM phosphate concentration and after addition of PLA(2) to the medium. To determine whether the effect of phosphate on AA production in parathyroid cells was tissue specific, separate experiments were performed to test the effect of phosphate in rat adrenal glomerulosa cells, which are known to increase AA production in response to angiotensin II. The effect of sulfate, an ion with chemical characteristics similar to phosphate, on PTH secretion was also evaluated. In parathyroid tissue, a high phosphate concentration decreased the high calcium-induced AA production. This effect of phosphate was associated with an increase in PTH secretion. The addition of AA reversed the stimulatory effect of phosphate on PTH secretion. In another type of AA-responsive tissue, the adrenal glomerulosa, a high phosphate concentration did not affect the production of AA when stimulated by angiotensin II. In a normal phosphate concentration, the addition of PLA(2) stimulated AA production and decreased the PTH secretion. However, in a 4-mM phosphate concentration, the addition of PLA(2) did not reduce PTH secretion and did not stimulate AA production. Finally, sulfate did not affect PTH secretion. In conclusion, a high phosphate concentration affects the production of AA by parathyroid tissue. This effect of phosphate may be the mechanism by which a high phosphate concentration stimulates PTH secretion.

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