Calcium-mediated parathyroid hormone release changes in patients treated with the calcimimetic agent cinacalcet

摘要

Background. The parathyroid-calcium (Ca2+-PTH) curve expresses modulation of parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion by the parathyroid gland as a function of changing extracellular Ca2+ concentration. Patients with hyperparathyroidism (HPT) show a rightward shift of the curve compared with controls, suggesting a reduced sensitivity of parathyroid cells to Ca2+. Increasing the sensitivity of the parathyroid gland to extracellular Ca2+ by manipulation of the Ca2+-sensing receptor (CaR) may have therapeutic potential. Calcimimetics allosterically modify CaR and render it more sensitive to extracellular Ca2+, accounting for the simultaneous reduction of Ca2+ and PTH seen in most patients.