Circulating monomer-like calcitonin in osteoporotic patients.

Physiological concentrations of monomeric calcitonin can inhibit osteoclastic bone resorption in vitro. We therefore investigated the circulating molecular forms, including monomer-like calcitonin, and their concentrations in 9 men and 9 women with established osteoporosis. Calcitonin was immunoextracted from serum by the use of rabbit calcitonin antibodies coupled to Sepharose 4B. The lyophilized extracts were incubated with 6 M urea overnight and gel chromatographed in a fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) system; calcitonin was measured by radioimmunoassay in the fractions. FPLC disclosed immunoreactive calcitonin of three different molecular sizes in the patients. The two largest forms were approximately 30 and 10 kDa and one eluted at the same position as monomeric calcitonin (3.4 kDa). After extraction and FPLC we found slightly higher calcitonin concentrations in osteoporotic women than previously reported levels in age-matched healthy women. Male patients had higher levels than female patients. None of the osteoporotic patients lacked monomer-like calcitonin. There was no significant correlation between the extracted total or monomer-like calcitonin and bone mineral density of the femoral neck. It is concluded that the circulating calcitonin in both male and female patients comprises three different molecular forms and that there is no deficiency of the monomer-like form. The calcitonin levels in the female patients were slightly higher than in a previous control group.