Parathyroid hormone dependent T cell proliferation in uremic rats

Chronic renal failure (CRF) is combined with an impairment of the immune system. The T cell may be a target for the action of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Rats with CRF have high blood levels of PTH. Therefore, the present investigation examined some aspects of the T cell function in both normal and CRF rats before and after parathyroidectomy and after an isogenic kidney transplantation. The T cell proliferative response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation was significantly higher in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures obtained from CRF rats than from normal rats. After parathyroidectomy the T cells of normal as well as of uremic rats could still be significantly stimulated by PHA, but now no significant difference was seen. When CRF was reversed after an isogenic kidney transplantation and PTH reversed to levels in the normal range, the T cell proliferative response to PHA was normalized. Rat PTH 1-84 stimulated in vitro the PHA-induced proliferation of T cells in a dose dependent manner. This effect was significant in CRF rat lymphocytes, but not in lymphocytes obtained from normal rats. Based upon the present results it is suggested that the secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic uremia is responsible for the enhanced proliferative response to PHA of T cells from CRF rats.