Modulation of intestinal absorption of calcium

Absorption of ingested calcium (2ml of a 10mM CaCl2 solution + 45Ca) by the adult rat was shown to be facilitated by the simultaneous ingestion of an active carbohydrate, L-arabinose. As the carbohydrate concentration is increased from 10 to 200mM, the absorption of calcium is maximised at a level corresponding to about twice the control absorption level. A similar doubling of calcium absorption is obtained when a 100mM concentration of any one of a number of other carbohydrates is ingested simultaneously with a 10mM CaCl2 solution. Conversely, the simultaneous ingestion of increasing doses (10 to 100mM) of phosphate (NaH2PO4) with a 10mM CaCl2 solution results in decreased 45Ca absorption and retention by the adult rat. The maximum inhibition of calcium absorption by phosphate is independent of the concentration of the ingested calcium solution (from 5 to 50mM CaCl2). The simultaneous ingestion of CaCl2 (10mM) with lactose and sodium phosphate (50 and 10mM respectively) shows that the activation effect of lactose upon 45Ca absorption may be partly dissimulated by the presence of phosphate. These various observations indicate that, within a large concentration range (2 to 50mM CaCl2) calcium absorption appears to be a precisely modulated diffusion process. Calcium absorption varies (between minimum and maximum levels) as a function of the state of saturation by the activators (carbohydrates) and inhibitors (phosphate) of the calcium transport system