Mp. Vicente et al., COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF DIFFERENT METHODS OF INDUCING ACUTE AND CHRONIC HYPERCALCEMIA IN RATS, Methods and findings in experimental and clinical pharmacology, 15(5), 1993, pp. 281-290
Experimental studies are frequently carried out using calcium salt tre
atment in rats. Modifications in plasma calcium levels could suggest i
mportant changes in cellular functions, transmitters and drug response
s. Changes during continuous maintenance of hypercalcemia could, on th
e other hand, be different from those produced by an acute increase in
calcemia Nevertheless, to date no specific studies exist which evalua
te and compare the modifications in calcemia and other alterations whe
n different methods of administering acute and chronic calcium are use
d in rats. This paper presents a method for inducing acute hypercalcem
ia in Sprague-Dawley rats after intraperitoneal administration of diff
erent quantities of CaCl2. Different oral calcium treatments to induce
chronic hypercalcemia were also evaluated. Hypercalcemia was more con
sistent when calcium was administered in both the solid and liquid die
ts. On day 14 of treatment the highest total and ionic plasma calcium
levels appeared in rats fed with CaCO3 in the solid diet (4% Ca) and w
ith CaCl2 in the liquid diet (1.5% Ca). With this treatment hypercalce
mia was maintained for 2 months.