title: Calcitriol plays a protective role in diabetic nephropathy through anti-inflammatory effects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To ascertain the protective role of calcitriol in the development of diabetic nephropathy and unravel the mechanism of the protective effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this prospective study, 69 patients were screened for type 1 diabetes, and 31 patients with type 1 diabetes were enrolled. Among these 31 patients, 24 patients had insufficient or deficient levels of serum vitamin D and 21 patients complied with calcitriol and were followed up. At baseline, these 21 patients who suffered from vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency displayed elevated inflammation markers and urinary albumin excretion in contrast with patients with sufficient vitamin D. Simultaneously, serum 25(OH)D3 level was negatively associated with serum and urinary inflammation markers, such as TNF-α, IL-6, and ICAM-1. Six months later, even though glycol-metabolism was not alleviated, all the serum and urinary inflammation markers decreased significantly. Meanwhile, proteinuria declined with inflammation markers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Calcitriol supplementation alleviated inflammation and proteinuria in patients with type 1 diabetes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Calcitriol might delay the development of diabetic nephropathy through suppressing inflammation.
authors: Department of Endocrinology, Huai'an First People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University Huai'an 223300, Jiangsu Province, China ; Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors: Li
authors: L
authors: Mao
authors: Department of Endocrinology, Huai'an First People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University Huai'an 223300, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors: Feng
authors: F
authors: Ji
authors: Department of Endocrinology, Huai'an First People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University Huai'an 223300, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors: Yuanyuan
authors: Y
authors: Liu
authors: The Research Center for Bone and Stem Cells, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Nanjing Medical University Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors: Xianghua
authors: X
authors: Ma
keywords: Vitamin D; diabetic nephropathy; inflammation