Effect of vitamin D supplementation on cathelicidin, IFN-γ, IL-4 and Th1/Th2 transcription factors in young healthy females.
Das. M M; Tomar. N N; Sreenivas. V V; Gupta. N N; Goswami. R R
Key Findings
- Vitamin D supplementation significantly increased serum 25(OH)D concentrations.
- LL‑37 (cathelicidin) mRNA levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells remained unchanged after supplementation.
- Th1 (IFN‑γ) and Th2 (IL‑4, IL‑4δ2) cytokine mRNA and related transcription factors were also unchanged.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers hoping that vitamin D boosts LL‑37 production as an immunity hack, this study suggests that simply raising vitamin D levels in young, healthy women does not translate into higher LL‑37 gene expression in blood cells. It may be necessary to explore other strategies (e.g., direct peptide supplementation, different dosing schedules, or targeting other tissues) if the goal is to enhance cathelicidin‑mediated defenses.
Summary
In a study of 131 young women with low vitamin D, taking high‑dose vitamin D (with or without calcium) for six months raised blood vitamin D levels but did NOT increase the gene activity for the antimicrobial peptide LL‑37 (cathelicidin) or shift immune signaling (Th1/Th2) in their blood cells.
Abstract
We assessed the effect of cholecalciferol and calcium supplementation on mRNA expression of cathelicidin (LL-37), Th1 and Th2 cytokines and their transcription factors in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in healthy females with vitamin D deficiency (VDD). Subjects included 131 females with biochemical VDD randomized to receive (a) oral cholecalciferol (60,000 IU/week for 8 weeks followed by 60,000 IU/fortnight (b) calcium (elemental calcium 500 mg twice/day) (c), dual supplementation and (d) placebo for 6 months. The mRNA expression of cathelicidin, Th1 (IFN-γ) and Th2 (IL-4 and its antagonist-IL-4δ2) cytokines and their transcription factors (T-bet, STAT4, GATA-3, STAT6) were measured in the PBMC by real-time PCR before and after intervention. Cholecalciferol-supplemented groups showed significant rise of mean serum 25(OH)D (30.6 ± 7.51 and 28.6 ± 8.41 ng/ml). The expression of LL-37, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-4δ2 and transcription factors were comparable in the four groups at baseline. Despite significant increase in mean serum 25(OH)D in the cholecalciferol-supplemented groups, their mean mRNA transcripts of LL-37, IFN-γ, IL-4, transcription factors and their IFN-γ/IL-4 and T-bet/GATA-3 ratios were similar to that of calcium and placebo groups. Six months of cholecalciferol/calcium supplementation in young females with VDD do not lead to significant alteration in mRNA expression of LL-37, Th1/Th2 cytokines and their transcription factors.
Study Information
pubmed
2014
2014-01-08T00:00:00.000Z
10.1038/ejcn.2013.268
34
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