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Endocrine · Reference monograph

Synthetic calcitonin analogue used regionally for bone metabolism and pain

Reference compound — not available from Purity Peptides. Shown for research context.

Overview

Elcatonin, also known as carbocalcitonin, is a synthetic analogue of eel calcitonin in which the disulfide bond linking positions 1 and 7 is replaced by a carbon-carbon (ethylene) bridge, formed using an aminosuberic acid residue. This substitution makes the peptide more resistant to reduction and degradation in solution while retaining potent calcitonin receptor activity.

Elcatonin was developed in Japan by Asahi Kasei and is approved in Japan and several other Asian countries, where it has been used in the context of osteoporosis-associated pain and other bone-related conditions. It is not approved by the FDA or EMA. Much of its literature comes from Japanese clinical and in vitro studies and animal models.">preclinical studies, which have explored both its effects on osteoclasts and its distinctive analgesic actions. For researchers, elcatonin is a useful example of peptide stabilisation chemistry, in which a dicarba bridge replaces a disulfide, and a tool for osteoclast inhibition research, bone pain models and calcitonin receptor pharmacology. Comparative work with salmon calcitonin examines how structure influences potency and stability.

Mechanism studied

  1. Elcatonin
  2. Osteoclast receptor
  3. Bone resorption ↓
  4. Analgesic endpoints

Elcatonin activates the calcitonin receptor, a class B G protein-coupled receptor on osteoclasts, renal cells and neurons. Receptor activation increases cAMP and phospholipase C signalling, causing osteoclast retraction, loss of the ruffled border and reduced bone resorption, which lowers calcium release from bone. Its analgesic effects in animal models are thought to be at least partly central, involving descending serotonergic pathways from the brainstem and possibly changes in endogenous opioid signalling, and in some models they appear separable from effects on bone resorption. The ethylene bridge stabilises the ring structure needed for receptor binding.

Research highlights

  • 01Developed by Asahi Kasei as a stabilised analogue of eel calcitonin.
  • 02The aminosuberic acid bridge is a classic example of disulfide-to-dicarba replacement in peptide chemistry.
  • 03Approved in Japan and some Asian markets; it is not approved in the United States or European Union.
  • 04Rodent pain models have linked elcatonin's analgesic effects to central serotonergic pathways.
  • 05Open questions include how its long-term safety profile compares with salmon calcitonin following European restrictions on calcitonin use.

Latest published research

174 papers on PubMed →

  1. Early parathyroid hormone elevation after denosumab therapy following parathyroidectomy: a diagnostic pitfall

    Yamashita H et al. · JCEM case reports · 2026 Dec · PMID 42890451

  2. Sensitive and selective quantification of elcatonin in equine plasma and urine using LC-FAIMS-MS/MS

    Ohnuma K et al. · Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis · 2026 Oct 15 · PMID 42127554

  3. Serial Calcium Monitoring Revealed Primary Hyperparathyroidism in Severe Acute Pancreatitis: A Case Report

    Yokota M et al. · Acute medicine & surgery · 2026 Jan-Dec · PMID 42859844

  4. Humoral Hypercalcemia of Malignancy Caused by Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein-Secreting Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Case Report

    Hirose T et al. · Surgical case reports · 2026 · PMID 41924640

  5. Unmasking Latent Primary Hyperparathyroidism in Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A Case Report and Literature Review

    Biyajima M et al. · Cureus · 2025 Feb · PMID 40109792

  6. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor producing cervical cancer with elevated levels of parathyroid hormone-related protein: a case report and literature review

    Matsuoka N et al. · CEN case reports · 2024 Feb · PMID 37227595

  7. Retracted: Impact of Alendronate Sodium plus Elcatonin on Postoperative Bone Pain in Patients with Osteoporotic Fractures

    International BR et al. · BioMed research international · 2023 · PMID 38188785

  8. A case report of effective intra-articular elcatonin administration in a patient with osteonecrosis of the lunate

    Nagai T et al. · International journal of surgery case reports · 2023 Apr · PMID 37001370

Live feed from PubMed (NCBI) for “Elcatonin”, updated 2026-10-30. Listing a paper is not an endorsement of its findings.

Registered studies

1 on ClinicalTrials.gov →

From the public ClinicalTrials.gov registry for “Elcatonin”, updated 2026-10-30. Shown for research context only; Purity Peptides products are not for human use.

Key references

  1. [1]PubMed — reviews on elcatonin and bone pain
  2. [2]National registrations — Japan

FAQ

  • Elcatonin is based on eel calcitonin rather than salmon calcitonin, and it replaces the disulfide bridge between positions 1 and 7 with a stable carbon-carbon linkage. Both are fish-derived sequences with high potency at mammalian calcitonin receptors.

  • Disulfide bonds can be reduced or rearranged, limiting peptide stability. Replacing them with a non-reducible carbon bridge, as in elcatonin, preserves ring geometry while improving chemical robustness. This dicarba strategy is studied widely in peptide drug design.

  • Elcatonin is approved in Japan and several other Asian countries for bone-related indications, including pain associated with osteoporosis. It has not been approved by the US FDA or the European Medicines Agency and is supplied here for research use only.

FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY.Not for human or veterinary use. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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