title: Cardiovascular benefits of vitamin D.
abstract: Vitamin D is essential for maintaining calcium and phosphate homeostasis, and vitamin D analogues have been prescribed to treat osteoporosis and hyperparathyroidism. Emerging evidence suggests that cardiovascular and chronic kidney diseases are closely associated with vitamin D deficiency resulting from either decreased sunshine exposure or inadequate intake. Vitamin D is through stimulating vitamin D receptor to form a transcriptional complex with cofactors to modulate approximately 3% gene transcription. For example, renin, matrix metalloprotease, and tumor necrosis factor-α are regulated by vitamin D. Both experimental and clinical studies support the health benefits of vitamin D in the cardiovascular system, and such benefits include protecting cardiac function, lowering blood pressure, improving endothelial function, inhibiting oxidative stress, and reducing the activity of renin-angiotensin system. This article will briefly review the cardiovascular benefits of vitamin D and its bioactive analogues and discuss the novel cellular and molecular mechanisms accounting for cardiovascular protection.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vascular Medicine, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, and Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. yu-huang@cuhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Jinghui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Chi Wai
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Siu Ling
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol / Q000502:physiology; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000502:physiology*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol; D014807:Vitamin D; D002118:Calcium