The calcium-lowering counterpart to PTH. Structurally it is Peptide hormone (32 aa).

How strong is the evidence for Calcitonin?

PeptideHormone grades Calcitonin at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an endogenous signal the body produces itself, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.

What is the half-life of Calcitonin?

The reported circulating half-life of Calcitonin is ~10 min.

Calcitonin

The calcium-lowering counterpart to PTH.

EndogenousEstablished

The opposing hand on the same dial. Calcium is held steady by two signals disagreeing, which is how the body holds most things steady.

Identity

Class: Peptide hormone (32 aa)
Source: Thyroid parafollicular (C) cells
Receptor: Calcitonin receptor, a class B GPCR

Key properties

Evidence floorClinicalREF1CLIN1

Molecular weight

~3,417.9 Da

REF

Half-life (native)

~10 min

CLIN

Model dosing

Approximate values for the native hormone; engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting. Each figure carries its own provenance tier, and the floor is the weakest of them - the Standard.

Mechanism

Calcitonin lowers blood calcium chiefly by inhibiting osteoclast-mediated bone resorption, opposing PTH. Its physiological role in adult humans is comparatively modest, but the pathway is pharmacologically useful.

Reference notes

Calcitonin opposes PTH — lowering rather than raising calcium.
It works mainly by restraining osteoclasts (the bone-resorbing cells).
Its everyday role in human calcium balance is smaller than PTH's.

Common questions

What is Calcitonin?: The calcium-lowering counterpart to PTH. Structurally it is Peptide hormone (32 aa).
How does Calcitonin work?: Calcitonin lowers blood calcium chiefly by inhibiting osteoclast-mediated bone resorption, opposing PTH. Its physiological role in adult humans is comparatively modest, but the pathway is pharmacologically useful.
How strong is the evidence for Calcitonin?: PeptideHormone grades Calcitonin at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an endogenous signal the body produces itself, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.
What is the half-life of Calcitonin?: The reported circulating half-life of Calcitonin is ~10 min.

Selected literature

Curated peer-reviewed reviews, sourced from PubMed. Selected for relevance, not exhaustive — open any entry on PubMed for the full record and its primary citations.

1.Calcitonin · , 2006 · PMID 29999768
2.Calcitonin · Current medicinal chemistry, 1999 · PMID 10519914

External references

Calcitonin in the public knowledge graph — the same entity resolved across the authoritative chemistry and protein databases.