Because mammalian distal nephron segments with both calcitonin- and antidiuretic hormone- (ADH) sensitive adenylate cyclase activity have been described, in vivo and in vitro experiments were performed to study the effect of calcitonin on rat distal nephron water permeability. Calcitonin 1 and 0.1 U/ml, but not 0.01 U/ml, significantly increased the diffusional water permeability in the isolated papillary collecting duct by 15 and 11%, respectively. However, this effect was small when compared with a 68% increase with a supramaximal concentration of ADH (from 4.0 +/- 0.3 to 6.7 +/- 0.9 microns/s; n = 6, P less than 0.01). The normal increase in water permeability with increasing concentration of ADH (0.02 and 0.2 mU/ml) was depressed by the previous addition of calcitonin (1 U/ml) to the bath but was unaltered with the supramaximal ADH concentration (2 mU/ml). Verapamil, a compound that antagonizes cellular calcium entry, did not alter the effect of calcitonin on diffusional water permeability. Calcitonin in concentrations of 0.05, 0.5, and 5 U/ml produced a significant reduction in urine flow and free water clearance. Pretreatment with calcitonin in these concentrations inhibited the antidiuretic action of ADH. These studies suggest that calcitonin acts as a partial agonist to ADH within the distal nephron. It is unclear whether such an action represents a physiological or a pharmacological effect.