The Circadian Rhythm of Intact Parathyroid Hormone-(1-84): Temporal Correlation with Prolactin Secretion in Normal Men

Serum PTH-(1-84), PRL, and adjusted calcium concentrations were determined at 30-min intervals for a 24-h period in six normal adult men. PTH-(1-84) and PRL both exhibited two peaks of increased secretion [1600-1900 and 0200-0600 h for PTH-(1-84); 2000-2200 and 0400-0800 h for PRL]. For each subject there was a striking similarity in the magnitude of secretion of the two hormones and a consistent temporal relationship. Thus, the maximum correlation coefficients of 0.62-0.83 were obtained for the six subjects when the PRL surge lagged that of PTH-(1-84) by 0.5-3.5 h. In contrast, the correlation between PTH-(1-84) and adjusted calcium was weaker (r = -0.36 to -0.66) and showed no consistent temporal relationship (0.0-10.5 h). These data support the concept of higher center control of PTH-(1-84) secretion with the possible involvement of factors common to the control of PRL secretion.