Identification and determination of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in rat skin by high-performance liquid chromatography and radioreceptor assay

Endogenous 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3] in normal rat skin was identified by using thermal isomerization to convert the metabolite into its pre-isomer, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and displacement potency with a chick intestinal cytosol receptor. When the metabolite in normal rat skin was determined by a radioreceptor assay after purification by Sep-Pak silica cartridge column chromatography and HPLC, the concentration was 71.0 +/- 6.6 pg/g of wet tissue (mean +/- S.D.). It is also shown that [3H]-1,25-(OH)2D3 and [3H]-25-hydroxyvitamin D3 administered intravenously in the mouse are located in the skin. These results suggest that the metabolite may play an important role in the skin.