Daily oral administration of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol to vitamin D-deficient rats increases the rate of disappearance of [3H]1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol and increases the rate of appearance of metabolites both less polar and more polar than 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol in the intestine, bone, liver, kidney, plasma, and muscle. Since 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol is believed to be the metabolically active form of vitamin D in the stimulation of intestinal calcium transport and bone calcium mobilization, these results provide an explanation for the fact that daily oral administration of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol is relatively ineffective in the maintenance of serum calcium and in the calcification of bone in rats.
C. A. Frolik, H. F. DeLuca
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