Maintaining serum PO4 homeostasis necessitates a complex counter regulatory feed-back balance between PTH, FGF-23 and 1,25(OH)2 D [24-26]. FGF-23 and PTH are probably the most important phosphaturic hormones in human [1]. FGF-23 is mainly produced by osteoblasts and osteocytes. Local expression of FGF-23 coreceptor (Klotho) is necessary for its function at the renal proximal tubules [27]. It inhibits renal Phos reabsorption through inhibitory effects on NaPi IIa and II c at proximal renal tubules [28]. However, there are still controversies about the action site of FGF-23 in the kidney [29]. previous studies had showed that klotho is essentially expressed in distal renal tubules, and alteration in the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation in distal tubules occurs soon after FGF-23 injection [30, 31]. Therefore, it still remain unclear as how FGF-23 could affect proximal tubules to suppress phosphate reabsorption. Data suggest that FGF-23 might require other factors such as PTH for signal transduction pathway at the proximal tubules [32].
PTH also increases renal PO4 excretion at proximal tubule of the kidney by reducing apical membrane NaPi IIa and IIc [33, 34, 14]. Moreover, PTH increases FGF-23 gene expression [35]. In addition to kidneys, parathyroid gland also express considerable amount of klotho and FGF-23 receptor [36]. On the other hand, FGF-Klotho complex could activate the MAPK pathway leading to decreased PTH mRNA and PTH secretion [37-39]. Olena et al. showed that the phosphaturic actions of PTH, are blunted by FGF-23 or Klotho deficiency. Hence, FGF-23 might be an important modulator of PTH signaling in the kidney [40].
Although the regulatory counterbalance between FGF-23 and PTH secretion was investigated, there is still insufficient information about the role of PTH on phosphaturic function of FGF-23 in human. Study of phosphaturic effect of FGF-23 in normal human physiology might be confounded by the fact that PTH and FGF-23 have some overlapping effects on PO4 excretion. Hence, the present study on hypoparathyroid patients and normal population provides an opportunity to observe whether the phosphaturic effect of FGF-23 is independent of PTH or not.
In the present study, we detected high serum level of PO4 and FGF-23 in hypoparathyroid patients compared to the control group; however, we found no significant difference in FE PO4 or 1,25(OH)2 D level between the two groups. Also, we found a strong positive correlation between serum FGF-23 and FE PO4 in the control population, but this correlation was absent in hypoparathyroid patients. These findings could suggest that although the FGF-23 is one of the main regulator of urinary PO4 excretion, the existence of intact PTH is necessary for the full phosphaturic effect of FGF-23. However, further relevant human studies are warranted.
In the presence of normal parathyroid and kidney function inappropriate high serum FGF-23 could result in urinary PO4 loss and hypophosphatemia such as X-linked dominant hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH), [41-44],autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets [45, 46], Autosomal recessive hypophosphatemic rickets (ARHR) [47, 48] or Fibrous dysplasia (FD)/McCune–Albright syndrome [49]. As well as some acquired disorders such as Tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) [50-52].
Previous studies showed that mean serum PO4 levels in hypoparathyroid patients remained above the normal range, even in the presence of high serum FGF-23 level [53]. Animal studies also showed that PTH-null mice experienced high PO4 in spite of high circulating FGF-23, resembling participants with hypoparathyroidism in the present study [54]. In another study on hypoparathyroid patients, treatment with rhPTH could reduce serum PO4 level from the upper normal range to the normal values parallel with increased urinary PO4 excretion [55-57]. These findings also support our hypothesis about the importance of PTH in phosphaturic action of FGF-23.
In spite of many strengths of this study that evaluated FGF23 function in hypoparathyroid patients, we had some limitations. This study was a case-control cross sectional study, which could be better if we design an interventional clinical trial to evaluate the effect of PTH in hypoparathyroid patients in the future.