The effect of glucagon on bone was studied in rats. Urinary hydroxyproline excretion and incorporation of [3H]proline into bone hydroxyproline were used as indices of bone collagen breakdown and formation respectively. Parathyroid extract (15 USP units/rat/h, i.v.), infused into thyroparathyroidectomized animals, increased urinary hydroxyproline excretion. This increase was nullified by simultaneous administration of glucagon (50 μg/rat/h, i.v.). Rats treated with glucagon for 12 days (30 μg/100 g/day, s.c.) excreted slightly less hydroxyproline in their urine than controls. In both intact and thyroparathyroidectomized rats, glucagon (10 μg/100 g/h, s.c.) decreased incorporation of [3H]proline into bone. Similar results were obtained in nephrectomized rats, evidence that changes produced by glucagon were not solely due to alterations in proline pool size caused by increased renal excretion. From these data it is concluded that: (1) glucagon can inhibit bone resorption (the effect being slight in normal rats, but easily demonstrable in parathyroid hormone-treated thyroparathyroidectomized rats), (2) release of endogenous calcitonin is not required to produce this effect, (3) parathyroid hormone and glucagon may act on the same target cell in bone, (4) inhibition of skeletal resorption may contribute to glucagon-induced hypocalcaemia, and (5) the hormone possibly decreases bone formation. Since pharmacological doses of glucagon were used in our studies, the relationship of the observations made to the physiological role of glucagon is unknown.
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