Thyroparathyroidectomized rats were studied during control, citrate infusion, and recovery periods to analyze the effects of citrate on urinary calcium excretion. The rats were infused with human PTH-(1-34) at a constant rate throughout the experiments that produced physiologic circulating PTH activity. Ultrafiltrable calcium was measured with a micropartition system while maintaining constant the pH and PCO2 of the sample. The plasma acid-base status, filtered load of calcium, and urinary sodium excretion rate did not vary during citrate infusion. The urinary calcium excretion rate increased from 71 +/- 9 nmol/min/g kidney during control period to 122 +/- 22 nmol/min/g kidney (p less than 0.05) during citrate infusion, and then returned below control levels during recovery period. A strong positive linear relationship was observed between the urinary excretion rates of calcium and citrate (r = 0.88; p less than 0.001). We conclude that tubular fluid citrate inhibits renal calcium reabsorption probably by forming calcium-citrate complexes.