The effect of calcium and dibutryl-cAMP on the secretion of parathyroid hormone by human parathyroid adenomas in organ culture.

The effect of different calcium concentrations as well as dibutyryl-cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (DB-cAMP) on the secretion of parathyroid hormone by human parathyroid adenomas taken from patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) was studied in organ culture. Their influence on the release of hormone was determined. The tissue was incubated in culture medium for 4 h; the medium was changed hourly and analyzed for immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (PTH) by radioimmunoassay. The hormone secretion showed an inverse relationship to different calcium concentrations in the medium and could be stimulated independently of the calcium concentration by adding DB-cAMP. These results suggest that the examined parathyroid adenomas are sensitive to physiological stimuli.