To clarify the mechanism of secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic renal failure at the parathyroid hormone (PTH) synthesis level, we measured PTH messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in parathyroid glands in a rat model of chronic renal failure. Four weeks after 7/8 nephrectomy, hyperplasia of parathyroid glands was evident and serum PTH levels were elevated. Serum concentration of calcium, inorganic phosphate, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D) of rats with chronic renal failure were not detectably different from those of sham-operated rats. In chronic renal failure rats, PTH mRNA levels were elevated both per RNA and per DNA of parathyroid cells, suggesting increased PTH mRNA levels per cell. The elevated levels of PTH mRNA were returned to normal levels by achieving supraphysiological concentrations of 1,25(OH)2D3 given i.p. twice at 24 and 48 hours before sacrifice, although this was attended by slight hypercalcemia. A synthetic analogue of vitamin D, 22-oxa-1,25(OH)2D3, also suppressed PTH mRNA to normal levels, but without hypercalcemia. These data suggest that secondary hyperparathyroidism in early chronic renal failure may be due in part to the resistance of parathyroid cells to the physiological concentration of 1,25(OH)2D in circulation on PTH synthesis and that 22-oxa-1,25(OH)2D3 may be useful in the management of secondary hyperparathyroidism of chronic renal failure.