Vitamin D, Immune Response, and Autoimmune Diseases 2nd Edition

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Micronutrients and Human Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2024 | Viewed by 5447

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Experimental Rheumatology and Academic Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine and Specialties, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy
Interests: systemic sclerosis; rheumatoid arthritis; polymialgia rheumatica; Raynaud’s phenomenon; COVID-19; capillaroscopy; sex hormones; circadian rhythms; glucocorticoids; DMARDs in rheumatoid arthritis; microcirculation; Mediterranean diet; vitamin D; neuroendocrine immunology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Laboratory of Experimental Rheumatology and Academic Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine and Specialties, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy
Interests: systemic sclerosis; rheumatoid arthritis; polymyalgia rheumatica; Raynaud’s phenomenon; COVID-19; capillaroscopy; sex hormones; circadian rhythms; glucocorticoids; DMARDs in rheumatoid arthritis; microcirculation; Mediterranean diet; vitamin D; neuroendocrine immunology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the first successful Special Issue and continuous new submissions, it is a great pleasure to invite you to contribute to this second Special Issue on the extra-skeletal effects of vitamin D and, in particular, its relationship with the cells and mechanisms involved in immune response. 

In fact, beyond the well-known endocrinological effects on skeletal mineral metabolism, vitamin D, being a steroid hormone, exerts proven antiproliferative and antiviral/antibacterial effects, together with the regulation of the immune system, with an autocrine/paracrine action mechanism. 

The link between hypovitaminosis D and the risk of developing autoimmune diseases has been deeply investigated over the years, with particular interest in infectious and neurological conditions, as well as complex musculoskeletal/connective tissue diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, etc.). A large plethora of immune cells, such as neutrophils, monocytes/macrophages, and T and B lymphocytes, are characterized by the presence of vitamin D receptor and synthesize the biologically active form of vitamin D, regulating inflammation and innate and adaptive immunity locally and systematically. The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked renewed interest in the anti-inflammatory properties of vitamin D. 

On this basis, the current Special Issue aims to collect the most recent advance concerning immune system modulatory effects exerted by vitamin D, as well as their implications in clinical and therapeutical practice (original articles, reviews, human ex vivo and in vitro translational studies are welcome).

Prof. Dr. Maurizio Cutolo
Guest Editor

Emanuele Gotelli
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • vitamin D
  • cholecalciferol
  • calcifediol
  • calcitriol
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • systemic sclerosis
  • systemic lupus erythematosus
  • type 1 diabetes
  • multiple sclerosis
  • COVID-19
  • innate immunity
  • adaptive immunity
  • monocytes/macrophages
  • T lymphocytes
  • B lymphocytes

Published Papers (4 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Editorial

Jump to: Research

5 pages, 216 KiB  
Editorial
The 2023’s Growing Evidence Confirming the Relationship between Vitamin D and Autoimmune Diseases
by Maurizio Cutolo and Emanuele Gotelli
Nutrients 2023, 15(22), 4760; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu15224760 - 13 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1831
Abstract
The second Special Issue of Nutrients dedicated to “Vitamin D, Immune Response, and Autoimmune Diseases” will include original data and recent achievements from authors who would like to participate in this research topic [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vitamin D, Immune Response, and Autoimmune Diseases 2nd Edition)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

10 pages, 598 KiB  
Article
Higher Vitamin D Levels before Methotrexate Therapy Initiation Are Associated with Lower Subsequent Mortality in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
by Shahdi K. Malakooti, Hinnah Siddiqui, Brigid Wilson, Taissa Bej, Megan O’Mara, Alexandra Desotelle, Alyssa Lange, Carey L. Shive, Nora G. Singer, Grace A. McComsey, Lenche Kostadinova, Maya Mattar, David A. Zidar and Donald D. Anthony
Nutrients 2024, 16(3), 401; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu16030401 - 30 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1216
Abstract
(1) Vitamin D deficiency is associated with mortality in the general population and has been observed in one rheumatoid arthritis (RA) cohort. Here, we investigate the relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels before methotrexate (MTX) therapy initiation in patients with RA and the [...] Read more.
(1) Vitamin D deficiency is associated with mortality in the general population and has been observed in one rheumatoid arthritis (RA) cohort. Here, we investigate the relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels before methotrexate (MTX) therapy initiation in patients with RA and the subsequent all-cause mortality in a national Veterans Affairs (VA) cohort. (2) This is a retrospective study on RA patients time-oriented around the initial MTX prescription and 25(OH)D levels before starting MTX. We examined survival in patients with 25(OH)D levels > 50 nmol/L and ≤50 nmol/L using the Cox Proportional Hazard Model and fully adjusted for risk factors. (3) In total, 15,109 RA patients were included in the nationwide cohort. RA patients with 25(OH)D levels > 50 nmol/L before starting MTX had a 28% reduced risk of mortality when compared to those with levels ≤ 50 nmol/L (HR: 0.72, CI: 0.64–0.80, p < 0.001) after adjusting for traditional risk factors. (4) In this national RA cohort receiving standard-of-care MTX, patients with 25(OH)D levels > 50 nmol/L have a lower subsequent mortality when compared to those with 25(OH)D levels ≤ 50 nmol/L. It remains to be determined whether increasing Vitamin D levels in RA patients initially found to be Vitamin D deficient impacts their all-cause mortality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vitamin D, Immune Response, and Autoimmune Diseases 2nd Edition)
Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 1035 KiB  
Article
Vitamin D Supplementation at a Dose of 10 µg/Day in Institutionalized Children with Severe Motor and Intellectual Disabilities
by Yota Sato, Atsushi Kamei, Fumie Endo, Sakura Matsuyama, Hiroyuki Toda and Takeo Kasai
Nutrients 2024, 16(1), 122; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu16010122 - 29 Dec 2023
Viewed by 942
Abstract
Vitamin D (VD) deficiency can lead to health-related consequences. This study determined the effects of VD administration in VD-deficient children with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (SMID). Twenty-eight subjects were included. Among them, 25 subjects with parental consent for VD administration were given [...] Read more.
Vitamin D (VD) deficiency can lead to health-related consequences. This study determined the effects of VD administration in VD-deficient children with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (SMID). Twenty-eight subjects were included. Among them, 25 subjects with parental consent for VD administration were given 10 µg/day (400 IU/day) of VD in April 2021. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were measured at least 30 days after the start of VD administration. The total VD intake, serum 25(OH)D levels, and ultraviolet (UV) exposure before the blood tests were investigated. The results showed that the median serum 25(OH)D levels were 8.7 ng/mL (4.3–17.2) and 24.0 ng/mL (7.8–39 ng/mL) from March to May in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Among the 25 subjects, 22 with UV exposure had >20 ng/mL serum 25(OH)D level, and 2 without UV exposure had <20 ng/mL serum 25(OH)D level. Three subjects who did not receive VD supplementation had <20 ng/mL serum 25(OH)D level. Taken together, VD supplementation (10 µg/day) is effective in children with SMID in institutional care. Moreover, it may be sufficient for children with UV exposure, but not for those without. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vitamin D, Immune Response, and Autoimmune Diseases 2nd Edition)
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 11184 KiB  
Article
Age-Dependent Effect of Calcitriol on Mouse Regulatory T and B Lymphocytes
by Agata Śnieżewska, Artur Anisiewicz, Katarzyna Gdesz-Birula, Joanna Wietrzyk and Beata Filip-Psurska
Nutrients 2024, 16(1), 49; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu16010049 - 22 Dec 2023
Viewed by 903
Abstract
The hormonally active vitamin D3 metabolite, calcitriol, functions as an important modulator of the immune system. We assumed that calcitriol exerts different effects on immune cells and cytokine production, depending on the age of the animal; therefore, we analyzed its effects on [...] Read more.
The hormonally active vitamin D3 metabolite, calcitriol, functions as an important modulator of the immune system. We assumed that calcitriol exerts different effects on immune cells and cytokine production, depending on the age of the animal; therefore, we analyzed its effects on regulatory T lymphocytes and regulatory B lymphocytes in healthy young and old female C57Bl/6/Foxp3GFP mice. In the lymph nodes of young mice, calcitriol decreased the percentage of Tregs, including tTregs and pTregs, and the expression of GITR, CD103, and CD101; however, calcitriol increased the level of IL-35 in adipose tissue. In the case of aged mice, calcitriol decreased the percentages of tTregs and CD19+ cells in lymph nodes and the level of osteopontin in the plasma. Additionally, increases in the levels of IgG and the lowest levels of IFN-γ, IL-10, and IL-35 were observed in the adipose tissue of aged mice. This study showed that calcitriol treatment had different effects, mainly on Treg phenotypes and cytokine secretion, in young and old female mice; it seemed that calcitriol enhanced the immunosuppressive properties of the lymphatic organs and adipose tissue of healthy young mice but not of healthy aged mice, where the opposite effects were observed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vitamin D, Immune Response, and Autoimmune Diseases 2nd Edition)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop