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The intestinal handling of calcium by the rat in vivo, as affected by cortisol. Effect of dietary calcium supplements

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Summary

This paper reports the effects of cortisol on intestinal management of calcium and on related changes on bone metabolism. Five groups of 12 rats each fed a standard diet (0.8% Ca) received 2, 6, 16, 32, and 128 mg/kg/day of cortisol hemisuccinate, subcutaneously. After 16 days, intestinal absorption and excretion of Ca were measured with the aid of45Ca. True Ca absorption increased as a function of dose up to 16 mg/kg/day and remained high with the larger doses. Endogenous fecal Ca excretion increased exponentially as a function of the dose from 16 mg/kg/day onwards. Therefore, a dual effect was observed: (a) an increase in true Ca absorption at low cortisol doses (which increased net Ca absorption); and (b) an increase in endogenous fecal Ca excretion at high doses (which reduced net Ca absorption). In no case was a depression of true Ca absorption observed.

Growth rate and food conversion efficiency were depressed only with a cortisol dose of 128 mg/kg/day. The urinary excretion of hydroxyproline, pyrophosphate, and aminopolysaccharides decreased with low doses and increased above normal levels with the highest dose.

When animals treated with 128 mg/kg/day of cortisol were fed Ca-enriched diets, net Ca absorption improved. Simultaneously, growth rate and food conversion efficiency approached normal values. In these experiments, net absorption of Ca was found to be inversely related to urinary excretion of hydroxyproline. The urinary rate of excretion of hydroxyproline is suggested as an indicator of the effect of a Ca supplement on cortisol affected connective tissue turnover.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Santa Fe 3 100, 2000, Rosario, Argentina

    J. L. Ferretti, J. L. Bazán, D. Alloatti & R. C. Puche

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  1. J. L. Ferretti
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  2. J. L. Bazán
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  3. D. Alloatti
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  4. R. C. Puche
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Ferretti, J.L., Bazán, J.L., Alloatti, D. et al. The intestinal handling of calcium by the rat in vivo, as affected by cortisol. Effect of dietary calcium supplements. Calc. Tis Res. 25, 1–6 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02010743

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02010743

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