Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Jun 21;21(23):7142-54.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i23.7142.

Molecular aspects of intestinal calcium absorption

Affiliations
Review

Molecular aspects of intestinal calcium absorption

Gabriela Diaz de Barboza et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Intestinal Ca(2+) absorption is a crucial physiological process for maintaining bone mineralization and Ca(2+) homeostasis. It occurs through the transcellular and paracellular pathways. The first route comprises 3 steps: the entrance of Ca(2+) across the brush border membranes (BBM) of enterocytes through epithelial Ca(2+) channels TRPV6, TRPV5, and Cav1.3; Ca(2+) movement from the BBM to the basolateral membranes by binding proteins with high Ca(2+) affinity (such as CB9k); and Ca(2+) extrusion into the blood. Plasma membrane Ca(2+) ATPase (PMCA1b) and sodium calcium exchanger (NCX1) are mainly involved in the exit of Ca(2+) from enterocytes. A novel molecule, the 4.1R protein, seems to be a partner of PMCA1b, since both molecules co-localize and interact. The paracellular pathway consists of Ca(2+) transport through transmembrane proteins of tight junction structures, such as claudins 2, 12, and 15. There is evidence of crosstalk between the transcellular and paracellular pathways in intestinal Ca(2+) transport. When intestinal oxidative stress is triggered, there is a decrease in the expression of several molecules of both pathways that inhibit intestinal Ca(2+) absorption. Normalization of redox status in the intestine with drugs such as quercetin, ursodeoxycholic acid, or melatonin return intestinal Ca(2+) transport to control values. Calcitriol [1,25(OH)₂D₃] is the major controlling hormone of intestinal Ca(2+) transport. It increases the gene and protein expression of most of the molecules involved in both pathways. PTH, thyroid hormones, estrogens, prolactin, growth hormone, and glucocorticoids apparently also regulate Ca(2+) transport by direct action, indirect mechanism mediated by the increase of renal 1,25(OH)₂D₃ production, or both. Different physiological conditions, such as growth, pregnancy, lactation, and aging, adjust intestinal Ca(2+) absorption according to Ca(2+) demands. Better knowledge of the molecular details of intestinal Ca(2+) absorption could lead to the development of nutritional and medical strategies for optimizing the efficiency of intestinal Ca(2+) absorption and preventing osteoporosis and other pathologies related to Ca(2+) metabolism.

Keywords: 1,25(OH)2D3; Aging; Estrogen; Intestinal Ca2+ absorption; Lactation; PTH; Paracellular route; Pregnancy; Prolactin; Transcellular pathway.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of intestinal Ca2+ absorption. ADP: Adenosine monophosphate; ATP: Adenosine triphosphate; Cldns: Claudins; NCX1: Intestinal Na+/Ca2+ exchanger; PMCA1b: Plasma membrane Ca2+- ATPase 1b; TJ: Tight junctions; TRPV6: Transient receptor potential vanilloid 6; TRPV5: Transient receptor potential vanilloid 5; VDR: Vitamin D receptor; 1,25(OH)2D3: Calcitriol.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Hormonal regulation of intestinal calcium absorption. CB: Calbindin; Cldn: Claudin; GC: Glucocorticoids; GH: Growth hormone; IGF1: Insulin-like growth factor 1; NCX1: Intestinal Na+/Ca2+ exchanger; PI3K: Phosphoinositide 3-kinase C; PKC: Protein kinase C; PMCA1b: Plasma membrane Ca2+- ATPase 1b; PRL: Prolactin; PTH: Parathyroid hormone; ROCK: RhoA-associated coiled-coil-forming kinase; TH: Thyroid hormones; TRPV6: Transient receptor potential vanilloid 6.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Alexander RT, Rievaj J, Dimke H. Paracellular calcium transport across renal and intestinal epithelia. Biochem Cell Biol. 2014;92:467–480. - PubMed
    1. Mori M, Tanifuji S, Mochida S. Kinetic organization of Ca2+ signals that regulate synaptic release efficacy in sympathetic neurons. Mol Pharmacol. 2014;86:297–305. - PubMed
    1. Bartlett PJ, Gaspers LD, Pierobon N, Thomas AP. Calcium-dependent regulation of glucose homeostasis in the liver. Cell Calcium. 2014;55:306–316. - PubMed
    1. Crosara Teixeira M, Braghiroli MI, Sabbaga J, Hoff PM. Primary prevention of colorectal cancer: myth or reality? World J Gastroenterol. 2014;20:15060–15069. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pérez AV, Picotto G, Carpentieri AR, Rivoira MA, Peralta López ME, Tolosa de Talamoni NG. Minireview on regulation of intestinal calcium absorption. Emphasis on molecular mechanisms of transcellular pathway. Digestion. 2008;77:22–34. - PubMed