scholarly journals Immunological Aspects of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and the Putative Beneficial Role of Vitamin-D

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 5251
Author(s):  
Ming-Yieh Peng ◽  
Wen-Chih Liu ◽  
Jing-Quan Zheng ◽  
Chien-Lin Lu ◽  
Yi-Chou Hou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Innate Immunity ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Adaptive Immunity ◽  
Cd4 T Cells ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Alveolar Type ◽  
Tissue Destruction ◽  
Health Crisis

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is still an ongoing global health crisis. Immediately after the inhalation of SARS-CoV-2 viral particles, alveolar type II epithelial cells harbor and initiate local innate immunity. These particles can infect circulating macrophages, which then present the coronavirus antigens to T cells. Subsequently, the activation and differentiation of various types of T cells, as well as uncontrollable cytokine release (also known as cytokine storms), result in tissue destruction and amplification of the immune response. Vitamin D enhances the innate immunity required for combating COVID-19 by activating toll-like receptor 2. It also enhances antimicrobial peptide synthesis, such as through the promotion of the expression and secretion of cathelicidin and β-defensin; promotes autophagy through autophagosome formation; and increases the synthesis of lysosomal degradation enzymes within macrophages. Regarding adaptive immunity, vitamin D enhances CD4+ T cells, suppresses T helper 17 cells, and promotes the production of virus-specific antibodies by activating T cell-dependent B cells. Moreover, vitamin D attenuates the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines by CD4+ T cells through nuclear factor κB signaling, thereby inhibiting the development of a cytokine storm. SARS-CoV-2 enters cells after its spike proteins are bound to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors. Vitamin D increases the bioavailability and expression of ACE2, which may be responsible for trapping and inactivating the virus. Activation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAS) is responsible for tissue destruction, inflammation, and organ failure related to SARS-CoV-2. Vitamin D inhibits renin expression and serves as a negative RAS regulator. In conclusion, vitamin D defends the body against SARS-CoV-2 through a novel complex mechanism that operates through interactions between the activation of both innate and adaptive immunity, ACE2 expression, and inhibition of the RAS system. Multiple observation studies have shown that serum concentrations of 25 hydroxyvitamin D are inversely correlated with the incidence or severity of COVID-19. The evidence gathered thus far, generally meets Hill’s causality criteria in a biological system, although experimental verification is not sufficient. We speculated that adequate vitamin D supplementation may be essential for mitigating the progression and severity of COVID-19. Future studies are warranted to determine the dosage and effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation among different populations of individuals with COVID-19.

scholarly journals Functional genomics analysis of vitamin D effects on CD4+ T cells in vivo in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis ‬

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (9) ◽  
pp. E1678-E1687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Zeitelhofer ◽  
Milena Z. Adzemovic ◽  
David Gomez-Cabrero ◽  
Petra Bergman ◽  
Sonja Hochmeister ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell Activation ◽  
Cd4 T Cells ◽  
Cell Activation ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis ◽  
Experimental Autoimmune

Vitamin D exerts multiple immunomodulatory functions and has been implicated in the etiology and treatment of several autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). We have previously reported that in juvenile/adolescent rats, vitamin D supplementation protects from experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of MS. Here we demonstrate that this protective effect associates with decreased proliferation of CD4+ T cells and lower frequency of pathogenic T helper (Th) 17 cells. Using transcriptome, methylome, and pathway analyses in CD4+ T cells, we show that vitamin D affects multiple signaling and metabolic pathways critical for T-cell activation and differentiation into Th1 and Th17 subsets in vivo. Namely, Jak/Stat, Erk/Mapk, and Pi3K/Akt/mTor signaling pathway genes were down-regulated upon vitamin D supplementation. The protective effect associated with epigenetic mechanisms, such as (i) changed levels of enzymes involved in establishment and maintenance of epigenetic marks, i.e., DNA methylation and histone modifications; (ii) genome-wide reduction of DNA methylation, and (iii) up-regulation of noncoding RNAs, including microRNAs, with concomitant down-regulation of their protein-coding target RNAs involved in T-cell activation and differentiation. We further demonstrate that treatment of myelin-specific T cells with vitamin D reduces frequency of Th1 and Th17 cells, down-regulates genes in key signaling pathways and epigenetic machinery, and impairs their ability to transfer EAE. Finally, orthologs of nearly 50% of candidate MS risk genes and 40% of signature genes of myelin-reactive T cells in MS changed their expression in vivo in EAE upon supplementation, supporting the hypothesis that vitamin D may modulate risk for developing MS.

scholarly journals Vitamin D supplementation improves pathophysiology in a rat model of preeclampsia

2016 ◽  
Vol 310 (4) ◽  
pp. R346-R354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Faulkner ◽  
Denise C. Cornelius ◽  
Lorena M. Amaral ◽  
Ashlyn C. Harmon ◽  
Mark W. Cunningham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Rat Model ◽  
Cd4 T Cells ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
Hypertensive Disorder ◽  
Treatment Of Hypertension ◽  
Hypertensive Disorder Of Pregnancy ◽  
Uterine Perfusion ◽  
Placental Ischemia

Deficiency of vitamin D (VD) is associated with preeclampsia (PE), a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy characterized by proinflammatory immune activation. We sought to determine whether VD supplementation would reduce the pathophysiology and hypertension associated with the reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) rat model of PE. Normal pregnant (NP) and RUPP rats were supplemented with VD2 or VD3 (270 IU and 15 IU/day, respectively) on gestation days 14–18 and mean arterial pressures (MAPs) measured on day 19. MAP increased in RUPP to 123 ± 2 mmHg compared with 102 ± 3 mmHg in NP and decreased to 113 ± 3 mmHg with VD2 and 115 ± 3 mmHg with VD3 in RUPP rats. Circulating CD4+ T cells increased in RUPP to 7.90 ± 1.36% lymphocytes compared with 2.04 ± 0.67% in NP but was lowered to 0.90 ± 0.19% with VD2 and 4.26 ± 1.55% with VD3 in RUPP rats. AT1-AA, measured by chronotropic assay, decreased from 19.5 ± 0.4 bpm in RUPPs to 8.3 ± 0.5 bpm with VD2 and to 15.4 ± 0.7 bpm with VD3. Renal cortex endothelin-1 (ET-1) expression was increased in RUPP rats (11.6 ± 2.1-fold change from NP) and decreased with both VD2 (3.3 ± 1.1-fold) and VD3 (3.1 ± 0.6-fold) supplementation in RUPP rats. Plasma-soluble FMS-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) was also reduced to 74.2 ± 6.6 pg/ml in VD2-treated and 91.0 ± 16.1 pg/ml in VD3-treated RUPP rats compared with 132.7 ± 19.9 pg/ml in RUPP rats. VD treatment reduced CD4+ T cells, AT1-AA, ET-1, sFlt-1, and blood pressure in the RUPP rat model of PE and could be an avenue to improve treatment of hypertension in response to placental ischemia.

Evaluation of the hormonal and biochemical changes in obese and non-obese PCOS Iraqi women before and after vitamin D supplementation

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (o3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suaad Muhssen Ghazi ◽  
Fatin Shallal Farhan
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Serum Vitamin ◽  
Follicular Development ◽  
High Body Mass Index ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Obese People ◽  
Serum Vitamin D ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Granulose Cells

Vitamin D deficiency is common in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Vitamin D plays an important physiologic role in reproductive functions of ovarian follicular development and luteinization through altering anti-müllerian hormone signaling, follicular stimulating hormone activity and progesterone production in human granulose cells. Vitamin D is precipitated in adipose fat tissues, making it notable to be used for the body as a result; obese people with high body mass index are already highly expected to have low levels of serum vitamin D.

Vitamin D and sleep duration: Is there a bidirectional relationship?

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Mosavat ◽  
Aisling Smyth ◽  
Diana Arabiat ◽  
Lisa Whitehead
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Bone Homeostasis ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Vitamin D Levels ◽  
Bidirectional Relationship ◽  
Sleep Length

AbstractVitamin D contributes to numerous physiological processes within the body but primarily calcium and bone homeostasis. Emerging evidence highlights a novel role for vitamin D in maintaining and regulating optimal sleep. Sleep is a known regulator of bone health, highlighting the interconnectedness between vitamin D concentrations, sleep duration and bone metabolism. It is possible that the relationship between sleep length and vitamin D is bidirectional, with vitamin D playing a role in sleep health and conversely, sleep affecting vitamin D levels. Nevertheless, limited information on the direction of the interaction is available, and much remains to be learned concerning the complex relationship between insufficient sleep duration and vitamin D deficiency. Given the potential to implement interventions to improve sleep and vitamin D supplementation, understanding this relationship further could represent a novel way to support and improve health.

scholarly journals Implications of Vitamin D Research in Chickens can Advance Human Nutrition and Perspectives for the Future

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew F Warren ◽  
Kimberly A Livingston
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Vitamin D Deficiency ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Human Nutrition ◽  
Vitamin D Metabolites ◽  
Vitamin D Metabolism ◽  
Related Research ◽  
Vitamin D Intake ◽  
Increased Risk

Abstract The risk of vitamin D insufficiency in humans is a global problem that requires improving ways to increase vitamin D intake. Supplements are a primary means for increasing vitamin D intake, but without a clear consensus on what constitutes vitamin D sufficiency, there is toxicity risk with taking supplements. Chickens have been used in many vitamin D-related research studies, especially studies involving vitamin D supplementation. Our state-of-the-art review evaluates vitamin D metabolism and how the different hydroxylated forms are synthesized. We provide an overview with how vitamin D is absorbed, transported, excreted, and what tissues in the body store vitamin D metabolites. We also discuss a number of studies involving vitamin D supplementation with broilers and laying hens. Vitamin D deficiency and toxicity are also described and how they can be caused. The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is important for vitamin D metabolism. However, there is much more that can be understood with VDR in chickens. Potential research aims involving vitamin D and chickens should explore VDR mechanisms which could lead to newer insights with VDR. Utilizing chickens in future research to help with elucidating vitamin D mechanisms has great potential to advance human nutrition. Finding ways to increase vitamin D intake will be necessary because the coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) pandemic is leading to increased risk of vitamin D deficiency in many populations. Chickens can provide a dual purpose with addressing pandemic-caused vitamin D deficiency: 1) vitamin D supplementation gives chickens added value with possibly leading to vitamin D-enriched meat and egg products; and 2) chickens’ use in research provides data for translational research. Expanding vitamin D-related research in chickens to include more nutritional aims in vitamin D status has great implications with developing better strategies to improve human health.

scholarly journals Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on CD4+ T Cell Subsets and mTOR Signaling Pathway in High-Fat-Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 796
Author(s):  
Jeong Hee An ◽  
Da Hye Cho ◽  
Ga Young Lee ◽  
Min Su Kang ◽  
So Jeong Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
Mtor Pathway ◽  
T Cell Subsets ◽  
Cd4 T Cell ◽  
Dietary Vitamin ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
High Fat

Obesity is associated with an impaired balance of CD4+ T cell subsets. Both vitamin D and obesity have been reported to affect the mTOR pathway. In this study, we investigated the effects of vitamin D on CD4+ T cell subsets and the mTOR pathway. Ten-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups and fed diets with different fat (control or high-fat diets: CON or HFD) and vitamin D contents (vitamin D control or supplemented diets: vDC or vDS) for 12 weeks. T cells purified by negative selection were stimulated with anti-CD3/anti-CD28 mAbs and cultured for 48 h. The percentage of CD4+IL-17+ T cells was higher in the vDS than vDC groups. The CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells percentage was higher in HFD than CON groups. The phospho-p70S6K/total-p70S6K ratio was lower in vDS than vDC, but the phospho-AKT/total-AKT ratio was higher in vDS than vDC groups. Hif1α mRNA levels were lower in vDS than vDC groups. These findings suggest HIF1α plays an important role in vitamin-D-mediated regulation of glucose metabolism in T cells, and dietary vitamin D supplementation may contribute to the maintenance of immune homeostasis by regulating the mTOR pathway in T cells.

scholarly journals Vitamin D receptor expression in SLE peripheral blood CD4+T cells is associated with disease activity and cell apoptosis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Lingying Niu ◽  
Fan Wang ◽  
Xiaojun Tang ◽  
Chun Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Vitamin D Receptor ◽  
Cell Apoptosis ◽  
Cd4 T Cells ◽  
Activity Index ◽  
Receptor Expression ◽  
Th2 Cells ◽  
Tfh Cells

ABSTRACT Objectives Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterised by accumulated cell apoptosis. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) has immunomodulatory effect and potent anti-apoptosis activities. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between CD4+T cells VDR expression, cell apoptosis, and disease activity in patients with SLE. Methods Forty-five SLE patients were recruited and 50 healthy individuals served as controls. The expression of VDR in CD4+T cells and their subsets were determined by flow cytometry. The correlations between VDR expression and cell apoptosis or disease parameters in SLE patients were analysed. Results VDR expression in CD4+T cells and their subsets were upregulated in SLE patients, especially in help T (Th)1, regulatory T (Treg), and follicular helper T (Tfh) cells. Frequency of VDR-positive CD4+T cells was positively associated with SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI)-2K values and inversely correlated with serum C3 concentration. The frequency of VDR-positive CD4+T cells, Th1 cells, Th2 cells, Th17 cells, Treg cells, and Tfh cells was positively correlated with cells apoptosis. Conclusion VDR expression in CD4+T cells and their subsets were increased in SLE. VDR expression was positively associated with disease activity and cell apoptosis in SLE patients.

scholarly journals Role of Vitamin D in Reducing the Frequency of Asthma Attacks in Patients with Frequent Exacerbation of Asthma

2021 ◽  
pp. 11-16
Author(s):  
Mubeen Ahmed Memon ◽  
Sheeba Faryal Ansari ◽  
Mumtaz Ali Lakho ◽  
Mukhtiar Hussain Jaffery ◽  
Syed Zulfiquar Ali Shah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Corticosteroid Treatment ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
The Body ◽  
P Value ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Asthma Exacerbations ◽  
Vitamin D Levels ◽  
Interventional Group

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency is common among asthmatics with literature suggesting that its low levels in the body may trigger exacerbations and decrease the response to corticosteroid treatment. It has also shown to inhibit the production of cytokines, which in turn enhances the body’s response to corticosteroid treatment during an exacerbation. Therefore, maintenance of adequate levels of vitamin D in patients with asthma may reduce the risk of exacerbation and improve their general health. This study aims to explore the role of vitamin D supplementation in preventing asthma exacerbations. Methods: This single blind parallel arm interventional study was conducted in the pulmonology ward in a tertiary care hospital from June 2018 to April 2020. Two hundred (n= 200) participants with a history of frequent acute exacerbation of asthma were enrolled in the study via consecutive convenient non-probability technique. Participants were divided into two groups; the placebo and the interventional group that received 200,000 IU of vitamin D capsule. Results: Compared to day 0, mean episodes of exacerbation in the interventional group were significantly lower after 180 days (1.1 ± 0.4 vs. 0.61 ± 0.3; p-value <0.0001). Similarly, number of asthma attacks in past 7 days was significantly lower in intervention group after 180 days (4.4 ± 2.7 vs. 3.1 ± 1.5; p-value 0.0001) Conclusion: Vitamin D supplementation is a safe and cost-friendly approach to reducing asthma exacerbations. It may also help to improve the condition in severe asthmatics with low vitamin D levels.

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