Vitamin D: its role and uses in immunology.

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Vitamin D: its role and uses in immunology.

Deluca HF, Cantorna MT.

Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison,

Wisconsin 53706, USA. deluca@...

In recent years there has been an effort to understand possible

noncalcemic roles of vitamin D, including its role in the immune system

and, in particular, on T cell-medicated immunity. Vitamin D receptor is

found in significant concentrations in the T lymphocyte and macrophage

populations. However, its highest concentration is in the immature

immune cells of the thymus and the mature CD-8 T lymphocytes. The

significant role of vitamin D compounds as selective immunosuppressants

is illustrated by their ability to either prevent or markedly suppress

animal models of autoimmune disease. Results show that

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 can either prevent or markedly suppress

experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, rheumatoid arthritis,

systemic lupus erythematosus, type I diabetes, and inflammatory bowel

disease. In almost every case, the action of the vitamin D hormone

requires that the animals be maintained on a normal or high calcium

diet. Possible mechanisms of suppression of these autoimmune disorders

by the vitamin D hormone have been presented. The vitamin D hormone

stimulates transforming growth factor TGFbeta-1 and interleukin 4 (IL-4)

production, which in turn may suppress inflammatory T cell activity. In

support of this, the vitamin D hormone is unable to suppress a murine

model of the human disease multiple sclerosis in IL-4-deficient mice.

The results suggest an important role for vitamin D in autoimmune

disorders and provide a fertile and interesting area of research that

may yield important new therapies.

Publication Types:

* Review

* Review, Tutorial

PMID: 11726533 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]