Effect of aminoglutethimide on calcitonin sensitivity.

Studying the influence of aminoglutethimide treatment on calcitonin sensitivity, serum calcium levels were measured in normal rats, aminoglutethimide treated rats, adrenalectomized and castrated rats, following i.v. injection of porcine calcitonin. The aminoglutethimide administration caused a more distinct calcitonin resistance than surgical sex hormone deprivation. It was found that castration in most of experiments failed to enhance calcitonin resistance in aminoglutethimide treated animals. The aminoglutethimide administration may influence the steroid synthesis of adrenals, accessory adrenals and testes too. Results obtained with castrated, aminoglutethimide plus dehydroepiandrosterone treated and castrated, aminoglutethimide plus epiandrosterone treated rats affirm the earlier observations, i.e. in state of sex hormone deficiency the exogeneous androgens have an enhancing or restoring effect on calcitonin sensitivity.