The vitamin D slant on allergy.
Oral vitamin D supplementation has been introduced into modern medicine to prevent rickets without the knowledge that this may have profound immunological consequences. The main vitamin D metabolite calcitriol suppresses dendritic cell maturation and consecutive Th(1) cell development, which has independently described as a key mechanism of allergy development. Animal studies and epidemiological surveys now provide a first link of early vitamin D supplementation and later allergy where several vitamin D regulated genes seem to be involved. A randomized clinical trial of vitamin D supplementation could be a further step to follow up the vitamin hypothesis.
Wjst
Matthias
M
D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000517:prevention & control; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000494:pharmacology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D012279:Rickets / Q000517:prevention & control; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000494:pharmacology*
D014815:Vitamins; D014807:Vitamin D; D002117:Calcitriol