While vitamin D is known for maintaining bone health, its role in immune regulation and asthma treatment remains unclear. Recent research examined how vitamin D influences immune responses related to asthma. By reanalyzing data from the Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial (VDAART), the team found that higher vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy reduced the risk of asthma in offspring, especially when adjusted for baseline levels. The study focused on the genetic mechanisms behind this effect, particularly on chromosome 17, where vitamin D receptors (VDR) bind to variants linked to immune diseases involving T helper type 2 (Th2) cells, key in asthma.
The research showed that VDR binding to vitamin D regulates genes involved in the Th2 immune response, crucial for allergic inflammation. Experiments with mice exposed to house dust mites revealed that vitamin D deficiency or lack of VDR resulted in a more severe asthma phenotype. VDR expression in Th2 cells regulated genes like Ikzf3, which suppress the Th2 response, suggesting a therapeutic mechanism. These findings indicate that vitamin D may have both preventive and therapeutic potential for asthma. However, the complexity of vitamin D’s role in immune function underscores the need for further research to optimize its use in treating asthma and other chronic inflammatory diseases.
Reference: Sharma S, Garg M. Investigating the role of vitamin D in asthma. Elife. 2024 Apr 3;13:e97031. doi: 10.7554/eLife.97031. PMID: 38567741; PMCID: PMC10990483.
