Thyrocalcitonin(9007-12-9) was purified in 1962 by Copp and Cheney. While it was initially considered a secretion of the parathyroid glands, it was later identified as the secretion of the C-cells of the thyroid gland.

The Calcitonin, with the CAS registry number 9007-12-9, is also known as Forcaltonin. Its EINECS number is 256-342-8. What's more, its systematic name is Thyrocalcitonin. Its classification codes are: (1)Bone Density Conservation Agents; (2)Natural Product; (3)Regulator [calcium]; (4)Tumor data. This chemical is a peptide hormone that lowers calcium concentration in the blood. In humans, it is released by thyroid cells and acts to decrease the formation and absorptive activity of osteoclasts. Its role in regulating plasma calcium is much greater in children and in certain diseases than in normal adults. It is a 32-amino acid linear polypeptide hormone that is produced in humans primarily by the parafollicular cells (also known as C-cells) of the thyroid, and in many other animals in the ultimobranchial body. Calcitonin has been found in fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Its importance in humans has not been as well established as its importance in other animals, as its function is usually not significant in the regulation of normal calcium homeostasis. It belongs to calcitonin-like protein family.