Is prolactin the cardinal calciotropic maternal hormone?
DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2010.02.002Narattaphol CharoenphandhuKannikar WongdeeNateetip KrishnamraDepartment of Physiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, ThailandConsortium for Calcium and Bone Research (COCAB), Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, ThailandFaculty of Allied Health Sciences, Burapha University, Chonburi 20131, ThailandSummary To produce offspring, mothers require a large amount of calcium for fetal growth and milk production. Increased calcium demand leads to enhanced intestinal calcium absorption and stockpiling of bone calcium in pregnancy prior to demineralization in lactation. These coordinated events must be carefully organized by calciotropic hormone(s), but the classical hormones, namely 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, parathyroid hormone and calcitonin, do not appear to be responsible. Plasma prolactin (PRL) levels are elevated during pregnancy and, in view of the presence of PRL receptors in gut, bone and mammary glands, as well as
