acid-phosphatase and Hypocalcemia

The aim of this paper is to summarize some of our quantitative descriptive and experimental studies, to discuss them in view of the literature data, and to present a synthesis of the topic. The results of stereological analysis of some tissue components of the rat thyroid gland have been compared with the results of topological studies on the parafollicular cells of various mammalian species. Localization of the parafollicular cells in the central regions of the thyroid gland lobes, where the follicular cell activity seems to be greater than in the periphery of the lobes, has led to the hypothesis that the parafollicular cells regulate (stimulate and/or suppress) the activity of the follicular cells. Long-term application and antithyroid drugs to mice and rats has shown that excessive concentrations of thyrotropin provoke hyperplasia of both the follicular cells and the intrathyroid mast cells and, transiently, of the parafollicular cells. This and some of the literature data are congruent with the hypothesis that the parafollicular and mast cells also stimulate the follicular cells by their paracrine secretions. Long-term application of antithyroid drugs to mice and rats has shown that excessive concentrations of cular cells but also probably stimulation of the follicular cells, as judged by the stereological measurements. The biological meaning of the spatial integration of follicular and parafollicular cells seems to be a functional coordination of both epithelial cell lines, supported by intrathyroid mast cells.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Animals; Antithyroid Agents; Autoradiography; Histocytochemistry; Humans; Hypercalcemia; Hypocalcemia; Mast Cells; Spectrophotometry; Thyroid Gland

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adult; Alkaline Phosphatase; Calcitonin; Calcium; Calcium Metabolism Disorders; Child; Clinical Enzyme Tests; Cyclic AMP; Female; Humans; Hydroxyproline; Hypercalcemia; Hypocalcemia; Magnesium; Male; Parathyroid Hormone; Phosphates; Steroids; Vitamin D

1α25(OH)(2)vitaminD(3) and its nuclear receptor, VDR, are essential for normal tooth development. However, the relative contributions of the direct vs. indirect effects of vitamin D action on odontogenesis are unclear. The aim of this study was to discriminate among the specific roles of 1α25(OH)(2) vitaminD(3), calcemia/phosphatemia, and the maternal environment in mouse VDR null mutants. Microradiographic, histological, and molecular analyses were conducted on adult mice under hypocalcemic/hypophosphatemic vs. normocalcemic/normophosphatemic conditions, and pups of first- (VDR-/- born to VDR+/- dams) vs. second-generation (VDR-/- born to VDR-/- dams) mice. In VDR-/- mice, crown morphogenesis was affected exclusively in second-generation pups. In first-generation adult VDR-/- mice, both enamel and dentin were affected, and pathologic features of root resorption in both apical and cervical regions were observed. Nutritional calcium and phosphate normalization completely rescued the root resorption and partially rescued the dentin and enamel phenotypes (altered cell differentiation and matrix protein expression). Analysis of these data illustrates the co-existence of different pathways of vitamin D action in tooth differentiation and biomineralization. These targeted and cumulative effects would generate the diverse and wide spectrum of dental rickets phenotypes.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Amelogenin; Animals; Calcitriol; Calcium, Dietary; Dental Enamel; Dental Enamel Proteins; Dentin; Female; Genotype; Heterozygote; Homozygote; Hypocalcemia; Hypophosphatemia; Isoenzymes; Male; Maternal-Fetal Exchange; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Mice, Transgenic; Mutation; Odontogenesis; Phosphorus, Dietary; Pregnancy; Receptors, Calcitriol; Rickets; Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase; Tooth Crown; Vitamin D; Vitamin D Deficiency; Vitamins

To examine the effects of heavy metals such as cadmium and mercury on calcium homeostasis, plasma calcium and calcitonin were measured in goldfish. Cadmium induced hypocalcemia both at 4 and at 8 days. In methylmercury-treated goldfish, the plasma calcium level increased at 2 days and then decreased at 8 days. The plasma calcitonin level increased in correspondence with the increased plasma calcium by methylmercury treatment, although cadmium did not cause a significant change. To elucidate the mechanism in detail, fish scales, which have both osteoclasts and osteoblasts and are similar to mammalian membrane bone, were used in the present study. We measured tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity as respective indicators of activity in both types of cells. TRAP activity in the scales decreased by treatment of cadmium and methylmercury at 6 h incubation. Particularly, cadmium (even at 10(-13) M) significantly suppressed TRAP activity, suggesting that this system is utilized as an acute biosensor for cadmium. ALP activity decreased after exposures of 64 and 96 h, although the activity did not change after 6, 18, and 36 h. In addition, mRNA expression of the estrogen receptor and insulin-like growth factor 1, which participate in osteoblastic growth and differentiation, was less than the control values by treatment with both metals. This study demonstrates that mercury directly acts on the bone cells and influences calcium homeostasis and indicates that, in a short-term exposure, mercury has a different action from that of cadmium and induces hypercalcemia.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Bone and Bones; Cadmium; Calcitonin; Calcium; Cells, Cultured; Female; Goldfish; Homeostasis; Hypocalcemia; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; Isoenzymes; Male; Mercury; Metallothionein; Metals, Heavy; Methylmercury Compounds; Receptors, Estrogen; Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase

In a previous report we showed that young rats fed a calcium-free diet for 28 days developed severe hypocalcaemia and showed a significant increase in serum alkaline phosphatase activity. The main histological and cytochemical changes exhibited by these animals in bone of the metaphyseal primary spongiosa were: (1) hyperplasia of osteoblasts, (2) an increase in the frequency of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive osteoblasts apposed to osteoid, and (3) an excessive amount of osteoid tissue. In addition to typical osteoblasts, there was a subpopulation of osteoblast-like cells with coated pits, lysosome-like bodies and large cytoplasmic processes. In the present study, we investigated how the above parameters change when calcium-depleted rats are placed on a normal diet for 7 days. Such a regimen normalized calcium concentration and alkaline phosphatase activity in the serum. The osteoid thickness returned to normal and, in some areas, was fully calcified. Most osteoblasts no longer showed TRAP activity and their ultrastructure was similar to that found in controls. Despite an intense alkaline phosphatase activity, some of them still exhibited a number of macrophagic characteristics. They were TRAP-positive, and showed electron-dense bodies in the cytoplasm facing bone, an abundance of coated pits, calcified spicules impinging on the cell membrane and large processes extending into the mineralized matrix. We concluded that calcium deficiency causes hyperplasia of osteoblasts in primary spongiosa and an increase in expression of TRAP. It also induces changes in their phenotype characterized by the acquisition of macrophagic cellular features. While TRAP activity is normalized by calcium repletion, macrophagic characteristics persist. These results suggest that the osteoblast can modulate its phenotype according to its physiological status.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Calcium; Calcium, Dietary; Extracellular Matrix; Hyperplasia; Hypocalcemia; Male; Microscopy, Electron; Osteoblasts; Rats; Rats, Wistar

Despite several studies on the effect of calcium deficiency on bone status, there is relatively little information on the ensuing histological alterations. To investigate bone changes during chronic hypocalcemia, weanling rats were kept on a calcium-free diet and deionized water for 28 days while control animals were fed normal chow. The epiphyseal-metaphyseal region of the tibiae were processed for histomorphometric, histochemical, and structural analyses. The distribution of bone sialoprotein (BSP), osteocalcin (OC), and osteopontin (OPN), three noncollagenous bone matrix proteins implicated in cell-matrix interactions and regulation of mineral deposition, was examined using postembedding colloidal gold immunocytochemistry. The experimental regimen resulted in serum calcium levels almost half those of control rats. Trabecular bone volume showed no change but osteoid exhibited a significant increase in all its variables. There were a multitude of mineralization foci in the widened osteoid seam, and intact matrix vesicles were observed in the forming bone. Many of the osteoblasts apposed to osteoid were tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)- and alkaline phosphatase-positive, whereas controls showed few such TRAP-reactive cells. Osteoclasts in hypocalcemic rats generally exhibited poorly developed ruffled borders and were inconsistently apposed to bony surfaces showing a lamina limitans. Sometimes osteoclasts were in contact with osteoid, suggesting that they may resorb uncalcified matrix. Cement lines at the bone-calcified cartilage interface in some cases were thickened but generally did not appear affected at bone-bone interfaces. As in controls, electron-dense portions of the mineralized matrix showed labeling for BSP, OC, and OPN but, in contrast, there was an abundance of immunoreactive mineralization foci in osteoid of hypocalcemic rats. These data suggest that chronic hypocalcemia affects both bone formation and resorption.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Bone and Bones; Calcium; Chronic Disease; Diet; Extracellular Matrix; Histocytochemistry; Hypocalcemia; Immunohistochemistry; Isoenzymes; Microscopy, Electron; Osteocalcin; Osteopontin; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Sialoglycoproteins; Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase; Tibia

This paper reports a study performed on 10 lepromatous leprosy outpatients and on the same number of age- and sex-matched contacts. All of the lepromatous patients were hypocalcemic, but plasma levels of ionized calcium and the acid-base status were normal. The average daily food intake assessed through a questionnaire revealed adequate nutrition of patients and controls. Plasma proteins and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and intestinal absorption of calcium were discarded as the causes of the hypocalcemia. In vitro experiments designed to investigate the effect of hydrogen ion concentration on the equilibrium between calcium ion and proteins revealed that, at normal pH values, plasma proteins from lepromatous leprosy patients bind a smaller fraction of total plasma calcium than those from controls. This phenomenon produces a normal concentration of ionized calcium that determines a normal parathyroid status as indicated by the normal urinary excretion of hydroxyproline and plasma concentrations of alkaline phosphatase (total and bone isoenzyme) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase.

Topics: Absorption; Acid Phosphatase; Alkaline Phosphatase; Blood Proteins; Calcifediol; Calcium; Calcium, Dietary; Dietary Carbohydrates; Dietary Fats; Eating; Female; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Hydroxyproline; Hypocalcemia; Leprosy, Lepromatous; Male; Middle Aged; Protein Binding; Serum Albumin

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adolescent; Alkaline Phosphatase; Calcium; Cerebral Palsy; Child; Child, Preschool; Humans; Hypocalcemia; Phosphorus

The syndrome of rickets, alopecia, hypocalcemia, and high circulating levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25-(OH)2D) apparently is caused by resistance of target tissues to 1,25-(OH)2D. To evaluate this, we cultured cells from explants of long bone of one patient with this syndrome and from a control without any preexisting disorder of mineral metabolism. The cultured cells showed morphological features of fibroblasts but contained alkaline phosphatase activity without detectable acid phosphatase activity, indicating an osteoblastic origin for some or all of the cultured cells. Receptors for 1,25-(OH)2D were assessed by three methods: high affinity uptake of hormone in nuclei of dispersed cells, high affinity binding in hypertonic extracts (herein termed cytosol) from cells, and sedimentation velocity of bound [3H]1,25-(OH)2D3 in extracts of cell nuclei. With cells cultured from bone of the normal control, receptors for 1,25-(OH)2D exhibited properties indistinguishable from those found with cultured skin fibroblasts. With cells cultured from bone of the patient with resistance to 1,25-(OH)2D, high affinity uptake of 1,25-(OH)2D into nuclei was unmeasurable, but high affinity binding of hormone with cytosol was normal; these abnormal findings also were indistinguishable from abnormal findings obtained with fibroblasts cultured from skin of that patient.. 1) Cells cultured from explants of human bone showed morphological features of fibroblasts but retained a marker enzyme characteristic of osteoblasts. Significant admixture of osteoblast-like cells with fibroblasts was possible. 2) Cells cultured from bone of a patient with familial resistance to 1,25-(OH)2D exhibit a defect in vitamin D metabolism, indistinguishable from the defect observed with cells cultured from skin of the same patient.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adolescent; Alkaline Phosphatase; Alopecia; Bone and Bones; Calcitriol; Cell Nucleus; Cells, Cultured; Child; Female; Fibroblasts; Humans; Hypocalcemia; Hypophosphatemia, Familial; Receptors, Calcitriol; Receptors, Steroid; Skin; Syndrome

The changes of calcium levels in serum and in the femur were examined in rats administered oral doses of zinc sulfate (0.1, 1.0, and 10 mg Zn/100 g body weight) for 3 days. All doses of zinc caused significant decreases in calcium levels in serum and in the femoral diaphysis and epiphysis. The decrease in these femoral calcium levels was seen 1 day after administration of zinc (10 mg/100 g). Furthermore, time course studies of the effect of zinc administration showed that, at 1 hr after zinc administration, calcium levels in serum and in femoral epiphysis but not in diaphysis were significantly decreased. In thyroparathyroidectomized rats, however, no significant decrease of the epiphyseal calcium was observed by administration of zinc (10 mg Zn/100 g), but the serum calcium level was significantly lowered. Zinc administration to intact rats caused a significant increase in acid phosphatase activity in the femoral epiphysis but not in the diaphysis. This increase was clearly prevented by thyroparathyroidectomy. Accumulations of zinc in the femoral epiphysis and diaphysis after zinc administration was not significantly altered by thyroparathyroidectomy. These results suggest that zinc-induced hypocalcemia may cause bone resorption which is primarily mediated by the action of the parathyroid hormone and it is related to calcium homeostasis in rats.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Administration, Oral; Animals; Bone Resorption; Calcium; Femur; Hypocalcemia; Male; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Thyroidectomy; Zinc

Young rats, fed a low calcium and vitamin D deficient diet for 2 weeks, developed hypocalcemia, an increased activity of serum alkaline phosphatase and an increase in the serum concentration of immunoreactive parathyroid hormone. An increased activity of lactate dehydrogenase and cytochrome oxidase in odontoblasts was found. No shift in the general energy metabolic pathway was found as visualized in the lactate dehydrogenase iso-enzyme pattern. The dominating lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme in odontoblasts from both the normal and the deficient rats was LDH 1 (H4, LD5), thus indicating primarily an aerobic energy-metabolism Also the activities of the lysosomal enzymes acid phosphatase, cathepsin D and hyaluronidase in the odontoblasts from the deficient animals were increased when compared to the normal animals. No significant change could be demonstrated for beta-glucuronidase and beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase. It was earlier found that this deficient diet caused an increase in odontoblast alkaline phosphatase activities and protein synthesis in vitro. In view of the present findings it might be concluded that the low calcium and vitamin D deficient diet causes a general increase in the odontoblast metabolism. It is not known whether this is due to the increase in parathyroid hormone or if it is a direct effect of the lowered serum calcium concentration.

Topics: Acetylglucosaminidase; Acid Phosphatase; Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Cathepsins; Electron Transport Complex IV; Energy Metabolism; Glucuronidase; Hyaluronoglucosaminidase; Hypocalcemia; Isoenzymes; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; Lysosomes; Male; Odontoblasts; Rats; Vitamin D Deficiency

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Calcium; Drug Therapy; Feces; Humans; Hypocalcemia; Infant, Newborn; Intestinal Absorption; Magnesium; Magnesium Deficiency; Malabsorption Syndromes; Male; Metal Metabolism, Inborn Errors; Radioisotopes; Seizures; Tetany; Time Factors

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Acute Disease; Adenosine Triphosphatases; Animals; Calcitonin; Chronic Disease; Esterases; Female; Histocytochemistry; Hypercalcemia; Hypocalcemia; Leucyl Aminopeptidase; Rats; Staining and Labeling; Thyroid Gland