Thyrocalcitonin: evidence for physiological function.

Abstract

A calcium salt given by stomach tube in modest amounts, such as might be ingested in a normal meal, produced hypercalcemia in acutely thyroidectomized fasted rats, whereas in rats with intact thyroid glands the same dose of calcium had little or no detectable effect, presumably because of release of thyrocalcitonin. Thyrocalcitonin apparently protects against hypercalcemia during feeding after deprivation.