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Effects of a single dose of 200 IU of nasal salmon calcitonin (SCT) on calcium metabolism and biochemical markers of bone turnover were investigated in 12 healthy male volunteers in a randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. The nasal spray was given in the morning, and subsequently blood and urine samples were collected for 26 hours. There was a significant decrease in serum ionized calcium with a nadir 4 hours after administration of nasal SCT accompanied by a significant increase in serum parathyroid hormone (P = 0.01) and serum calcitriol (P = 0.04). Nasal SCT did not reduce urinary hydroxyproline/creatinine. Urinary deoxypyridinoline/creatinine was lowered significantly 2 hours after administration of nasal SCT and throughout the first 24 hours, but remained unchanged for the last 2 hours. On a 24-hour basis, urinary deoxypyridinoline/creatinine decreased from 14.1 (3.5) nmol/mmol to 11.7 (3.2) nmol/mmol after nasal SCT (P = 0.04). Nasal SCT did not change the serum levels of alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, and the carboxyterminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen. The results indicate that nasal SCT given as a single dose provokes a modest decrease in bone resorption lasting several hours, but leaves bone formation unaffected.

Intestinal calcium-binding protein (CaBP) (molecular weight 10,000) was measured by a specific enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay in duodenal biopsies of 94 patients (aged 20-89 years). The patients were examined for complaints of upper abdominal dyspepsia, but no significant pathology was found by gastroduodenoscopy. The median amount of CaBP in duodenal biopsies was 6.0 micrograms/mg of cytosolic protein with a coefficient of variation of 0.6. No change in the amount of CaBP per mg of cytosolic protein was observed with age. A significant correlation (P less than 0.001) was found between the concentration of CaBP and s-1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D). The amount of CaBP per mg of cytosolic protein did not correlate with immunoreactive parathyroid hormone in serum, and no relation between CaBP and the specific activity of alkaline phosphatase of the mucosal biopsies was found. The results of the present study show a wide variation in the amount of the 10 kDa CaBP in duodenal biopsies of humans and no change with age. Further, a correlation between s-1,25(OH)2D and CaBP was found.