Postmenopausal osteoporosis: response of immunoextracted calcitonin to a calcium clamp.

Fourteen postmenopausal females with osteoporosis (PMO) and 14 healthy postmenopausal females (PMF) were studied by means of the calcium clamp-technique. Plasma was collected before start and during the 1 hour calcium clamp. Calcitonin (CT) was immunoextracted from plasma with antiserum No. 1 directed against the mid- and carboxyterminal portion of CT. Thereafter radioimmunoassay was performed on the extracts with antiserum No. 2 directed against the carboxyterminal of CT. The detection limit of the assay was 0.8 pg/tube. There was no difference between patients and controls in the basal CT values and CT was detectable in all samples after immunoextraction. Plasma CT increased significantly during the calcium clamp in osteoporotic patients as well as in controls and the CT response did not differ between the groups. The results do not support the hypothesis of a diminished CT secretion as a contributing factor to the development of osteoporosis.