Seasonal fluctuations in serum concentrations of vitamin D metabolites in normal subjects

Abstract

Serum concentrations of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD), 24,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (24,25-(OH)2D), and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25-(OH)2D) were measured at monthly intervals throughout the year in eight normal subjects. 25-OHD was measured by competitive protein-binding assay after Sephadex LH 20 chromatography, 24,25-(OH)2D by competitive protein-binding assay after Sephadex LH 20 and high-pressure chromatography, and 1,25-(OH)2D by radioimmunoassay after the same separation procedure as for 24,25-(OH)2D. A seasonal variation, apparently dependent on exposure to ultraviolet light, was found for all three metabolites. A study in six other normal subjects showed that there was no diurnal rhythm in any of the metabolites. Oral administration of 2 microgram 1,25-(OH)2D caused a sharp rise in serum concentrations of 1,25-(OH)2D and no change in the concentrations of the two other metabolites, but by 12 hours the 1,25-(OH)2D concentration had returned to the basal value. The concentrations of all three metabolites studied vary according to the season. Thus to interpret these concentrations in any subject the normal range for the particular season must be referred to.