Inhibition of erythropoiesis in chronic renal failure: the role of parathyroid hormone

Sera from 20 anemic patients with chronic renal failure (CFR) were studied for their effect on bone marrow in vitro erythroid colony formation (CFUE) and the observations correlated with parathyroid hormone (PTH) and ionized calcium levels in the patients' sera. Results demonstrated that 17 out of 20 patients' sera significantly inhibited in vitro erythropoiesis by 47% to 97%. No significant elevation in ionized calcium was found in 16 of the patients tested. Furthermore, assay of PTH levels in these patients revealed that 9 out of 20 had elevated levels of PTH. No correlation was found between PTH serum levels and the degree of in vitro inhibition of erythropoiesis (CFUE) by the patients' sera. Addition of up to 2,000 pg/mL (far above the patients' levels) of exogenous N-terminal or C-terminal PTH with in vitro bone marrow cultures resulted in no inhibitory effect on CFUE. It is concluded that the circulating inhibitor of erythropoiesis which has been shown to exist in the sera of this particular group of patients with CRF, is not PTH.