The Effects of Vitamin D on Immune System and Inflammatory Diseases

• Published in: Biomolecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 11; no. 11; p. 1624
• Main Authors: Ao, Tomoka, Kikuta, Junichi, Ishii, Masaru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 03.11.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Animals; Antibiotics; Antigens; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - drug therapy; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - prevention & control; Autoimmune diseases; Autoimmune Diseases - drug therapy; Autophagy; B-Lymphocytes - immunology; Bacteria; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - drug therapy; COVID-19 - prevention & control; Cytokines; Dendritic cells; Dendritic Cells - immunology; Disease Models, Animal; Enzymes; Epidemiology; Humans; Hydroxylase; Immune system; Immune System - drug effects; Immunomodulation; Infections; Infectious diseases; Inflammation - drug therapy; Inflammatory diseases; Influenza; Influenza, Human - drug therapy; Influenza, Human - prevention & control; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - drug therapy; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - prevention & control; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes B; Macrophages; Macrophages - immunology; Mice; Monocytes - immunology; Morbidity; Multiple sclerosis; multiple sclerosis (MS); Multiple Sclerosis - drug therapy; Multiple Sclerosis - prevention & control; Pathogens; Peptides; Public health; Receptors, Calcitriol - genetics; Receptors, Calcitriol - physiology; Review; Rheumatoid arthritis; rheumatoid arthritis (RA); Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Systemic lupus erythematosus; systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Transcription factors; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - therapeutic use; Vitamin D Deficiency - complications; Vitamin deficiency; COVID-19; multiple sclerosis (MS); immune system; rheumatoid arthritis (RA); systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); vitamin D
• ISSN: 2218-273X; 2218-273X
• DOI: 10.3390/biom11111624

Immune cells, including dendritic cells, macrophages, and T and B cells, express the vitamin D receptor and 1α-hydroxylase. In vitro studies have shown that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, the active form of vitamin D, has an anti-inflammatory effect. Recent epidemiological evidence has indicated a significant association between vitamin D deficiency and an increased incidence, or aggravation, of infectious diseases and inflammatory autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and multiple sclerosis. However, the impact of vitamin D on treatment and prevention, particularly in infectious diseases such as the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), remains controversial. Here, we review recent evidence associated with the relationship between vitamin D and inflammatory diseases and describe the underlying immunomodulatory effect of vitamin D.