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Dose-Response Bioactivity and Bioavailability of Salmon Calcitonin in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Women

Department of Clinical Chemistry, Glostrup Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; and Institute of Internal Medicine (D.A., E.M., C.G.), University of Siena Siena, Italy

Address correspondence and requests for reprints to: Kirsten Over-gaard, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Glostrup Hospital, DK-2600 Glostrup, Denmark.

We investigated the acute, dose-response to three intranasal doses of salmon calcitonin (sCT) (50 IU, 100 IU, and 200 IU) and one im dose (50 IU) in eight premenopausal and eight early postmenopausal women.

Total serum calcium and serum β-endorphin revealed significant changes after all four administrations (P < 0.05). After the two highest intranasal and the im doses cAMP increased 10% and 35%, respectively (P < 0.05). All administrations except the 50 IU intranasal dose produced significant increases in plasma sCT (P < 0.05).

The areas under the concentration-time curves, calculated for the period with the maximal changes (i.e. 120–240 min), illustrated a significant dose-related response in total serum calcium, β-endorphin, and sCT (P < 0.01–0.001). cAMP showed a doserelated tendency, the response to the im injection being significantly higher than that to the two lowest doses of intranasal sCT (P < 0.05).

We conclude that the doses administered produce a dose-related biological response and Dioavailability. In women with normal and high bone turnover, sCT 100 IU intranasally seems as optimal as 50 IU im. The response to sCT should, furthermore, be assessed on bioactivity rather than on bioavailability.

Received July 3, 1990.