title: Vitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 as modulators in the immune system.
abstract: Treatment from weaning until old age with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)(2)D(3)) prevents diabetes in NOD mice. It is mainly through its actions on dendritic cells (DCs), that 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) changes the function of potentially autoreactive T lymphocytes. In contrast, early life treatment (from 3 to 70 days of age) of NOD mice with vitamin D or 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) did not influence final diabetes incidence at 200 days of age. Also in spontaneous diabetic BB rats, diabetes could not be prevented by early life treatment (from 3 to 50 days of age) with vitamin D (1000 IU per day) or 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) (0.2 microg/kg per day or 1 microg/kg per 2 days). However, when NOD mice were made vitamin D deficient in early life (until 100 days of age), diabetes onset occurred earlier and final incidence was increased. These data further support a role for vitamin D and its metabolites in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes in NOD mice.
authors.affiliation: LEGENDO, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, O&N, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. chantal.mathieu@med.kuleuven.ac.be
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mathieu
authors.forename: Evelyne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van Etten
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Decallonne
authors.forename: Annapaula
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guilietti
authors.forename: Conny
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gysemans
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bouillon
authors.forename: Lut
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Overbergh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; D002117:Calcitriol