Bergsland KJ, Worcester EM, Coe FL. Role of proximal tubule in the hypocalciuric response to thiazide of patients with idiopathic hypercalciuria. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 305: F592-F599, 2013. First published May 29, 2013 doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00116.2013The most common metabolic abnormality found in calcium (Ca) kidney stone formers is idiopathic hypercalciuria (IH). Using endogenous lithium (Li) clearance, we previously showed that in IH, there is decreased proximal tubule sodium absorption, and increased delivery of Ca into the distal nephron. Distal Ca reabsorption may facilitate the formation of Randall's plaque (RP) by washdown of excess Ca through the vasa recta toward the papillary tip. Elevated Ca excretion leads to increased urinary supersaturation (SS) with respect to calcium oxalate (CaOx) and calcium phosphate (CaP), providing the driving force for stone growth on RP. Thiazide (TZ) diuretics reduce Ca excretion and prevent stone recurrence, but the mechanism in humans is unknown. We studied the effect of chronic TZ administration on renal mineral handling in four male IH patients using a fixed three meal day in the General Clinical Research Center. Each subject was studied twice: once before treatment and once after 4 -7 mo of daily chlorthalidone treatment. As expected, urine Ca fell with TZ, along with fraction of filtered Ca excreted. Fraction of filtered Li excreted also fell sharply with TZ, as did distal delivery of Ca. Unexpectedly, TZ lowered urine pH. Together with reduced urine Ca, this led to a marked fall in CaP SS, but not CaOx SS. Since CaOx stone formation begins with an initial CaP overlay on RP, by lowering urine pH and decreasing distal nephron Ca delivery, TZ might diminish stone risk both by reducing CaP SS, as well as slowing progression of RP. calcium oxalate; calcium phosphate; idiopathic hypercalciuria; kidney calculi; thiazide THE MOST COMMON METABOLIC abnormality found in calcium (Ca) stone formers is so-called idiopathic hypercalciuria (IH) (40). Patients with IH absorb more Ca from a given meal than normal people (N), but also have abnormally decreased renal tubule Ca reabsorption, so that they often excrete more Ca than they have absorbed, exhibit decreased bone density, and have a propensity for increased fractures (22,42). Elevated urine Ca excretion leads to increased urinary supersaturation (SS) with respect to both calcium oxalate (CaOx) and calcium phosphate (CaP), providing the driving force for kidney stone formation (36). In addition, urine Ca excretion is correlated with the amount of interstitial apatite deposits (called Randall's plaque) found on the surface of the renal papillae (19). These deposits are the attachment sites for most CaOx stones and appear to be critical for stone formation (14). A plausible mechanism by which increased Ca reaches the deep papillae is via washdown from reabsorption in the thick ascending limb; an increase in delivery of Ca to this site would tend to increase reabsorption and washdown into the papilla and potentially increase...