title: Modeling vitamin D insufficiency and moderate deficiency in adult mice via dietary cholecalciferol restriction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We sought to develop and characterize a model of human vitamin D nutritional insufficiency/deficiency in the adult mouse, which could have broad utility in examining health consequences of this common condition.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult mice were fed diets containing cholecalciferol contents of 0.05 IU/g, 0.25 IU/g, 0.5 IU/g or 1.5 IU/g for four months. We studied induction of steady-state vitamin D insufficiency, and its consequences on primary cholecalciferol metabolite levels, calcium homeostasis, parathyroid physiology, and bone morphology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All diets were well tolerated, without adverse effects on body weight. Diets containing 0.05 IU/g and 0.25 IU/g cholecalciferol significantly lowered serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels (median 25OHD, 10.5 ng/ml, and 21.6 ng/ml, respectively), starting as early as one month following initiation of the diets, maintained through the four-month experimental period. The 0.05 IU/g diet significantly decreased 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25OH2D) levels (median, 78 pg/ml). Despite these decreased 25OHD and 1,25OH2D levels, the diets did not alter parathyroid gland morphology or parathyroid cell proliferation. There were no statistical differences in the serum total calcium and serum PTH levels among the various dietary groups. Furthermore, the 0.05 IU/g diet did not cause any alterations in the cortical and trabecular bone morphology, as determined by microCT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The dietary manipulations yielded states of vitamin D insufficiency or modest deficiency in adult mice, with no overtly detectable impact on parathyroid and bone physiology, and calcium homeostasis. This model system may be of value to study health effects of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency especially on extraskeletal phenotypes such as cancer susceptibility or immune function.
authors.affiliation: a Section of Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology , UCLA School of Dentistry , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Sanjay M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Mallya
authors.affiliation: b Center for Molecular Medicine , University of Connecticut School of Medicine , Farmington , CT , USA.
authors.forename: Kristin R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Corrado
authors.affiliation: b Center for Molecular Medicine , University of Connecticut School of Medicine , Farmington , CT , USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Saria
authors.affiliation: a Section of Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology , UCLA School of Dentistry , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Feng-Ning Frank
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: a Section of Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology , UCLA School of Dentistry , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Huy Q
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.affiliation: b Center for Molecular Medicine , University of Connecticut School of Medicine , Farmington , CT , USA.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saucier
authors.affiliation: a Section of Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology , UCLA School of Dentistry , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Atti
authors.affiliation: a Section of Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology , UCLA School of Dentistry , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Sotirios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tetradis
authors.affiliation: b Center for Molecular Medicine , University of Connecticut School of Medicine , Farmington , CT , USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arnold
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002112:Calcifediol / Q000097:blood*; D002762:Cholecalciferol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004032:Diet; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014815:Vitamins; D002762:Cholecalciferol; D002112:Calcifediol
keywords: 25-hydroxyvitamin D; Animal diet; parathyroid; vitamin D