Arginine infusion blocks the action of parathyroid hormone but not arginine vasopressin on the renal tubule in man.

Six male volunteers were infused with arginine (0.5 g/kg body weight) over 30 min, after an overnight fast and water deprivation. There was a significant decrease in renal phosphate clearance (P less than 0.025) and urinary cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) output (P less than 0.025) during the 60- to 90-min period after the beginning of the infusion; both returned to the preinfusion basal levels within 150 min. The plasma levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) were not affected by the infusion and remained unchanged during the subsequent 150 min. Plasma levels of arginine vasopressin (AVP) were also not significantly affected although plasma osmolality increased by 6-9 mmol/kg in all subjects. The infusion resulted in a diuresis, and a fall in urine osmolality but a decrease in free-water clearance; creatinine clearance was not affected. Six other subjects were given a bolus of 230 i.u. PTH intravenously, and 20 days later this was repeated during an infusion of arginine (0.5 g/kg body weight). There was a significant decrease in urinary phosphate (P less than 0.025) and cAMP excretion (P less than 0.05) when PTH was given with arginine. It is suggested that arginine blocks the action of PTH on the proximal renal tubule but not that of vasopressin on the distal nephron and collecting ducts.