ACUTE ADMINISTRATION OF INTACT PARATHYROID HORMONE BUT NOT ITS AMINO-TERMINAL FRAGMENT STIMULATES VOLUME OF PANCREATIC SECRETION

Chronic renal failure is associated with structural and functional abnormalities of the exocrine system of the pancreas. Certain data suggest that the excess parathyroid hormone (PTH) in these patients may participate in the genesis of these pancreatic derangements. However, direct evidence that PTH exerts a direct effect on the exocrine pancreatic system is not well documented. The present study examined the effects of the intact molecule (1–84 PTH) and of the amino-terminal fragment (1–34 PTH) of the hormone on the basal output of pure pancreatic juice (PPJ) volume and pancreatic protein secretion in the rat. 1–84 PTH but not 1–34 PTH significantly (p