Role of vitamin D in immune responses and autoimmune diseases, with emphasis on its role in multiple sclerosis.
Vitamin D is a seco-steroid involved in calcium and phosphorus metabolism, and bone formation and mineralization, through binding to a specific nuclear receptor, vitamin D receptor (VDR). Besides its well-established functions on bone health, multiple lines of evidence have indicated the immunomodulatory roles of vitamin D. Vitamin D can affect both innate and adaptive immunity, and prevent autoimmune responses efficiently. Vitamin D regulates the immune responses by suppressing T cell proliferation and modulating macrophage functions. Epidemiological studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is associated with multiple diseases such as rickets and cancer. Moreover, associations between vitamin D and autoimmune diseases have been confirmed in multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), etc. The present review mainly summarized the recent findings on the immunomodulatory role of vitamin D in various disorders, with special focus on its role in MS, an autoimmune disease of the nervous system.
Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China. drzhl@hotmail.com
Hong-Liang
HL
Zhang
Jiang
J
Wu
D056704:Adaptive Immunity / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000276:immunology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology*; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000276:immunology*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000276:immunology
D007155:Immunologic Factors; D014815:Vitamins; D014807:Vitamin D