Vitamin D3 may have the potential to help treat primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), according to a study recently published in Scientific Reports.
Vitamin D3 is best known for its role in the maintenance of healthy bone development. Recent studies show that vitamin D3 also has a role in modulating immune responses. Furthermore, vitamin D3 deficiency is present across a number of autoimmune diseases.
A previous study demonstrated that vitamin D3 supplementation can help delay disease progression in PBC. Researchers sought to better understand the potential role of vitamin D3 in alleviating PBC disease processes by conducting a study on experimental mice. These mice were administered substances that caused them to have conditions that mimicked PBC.
The research team divided the experimental mice into three categories: the PBC group, the control group and the treatment group (i.e., PBC mice that received vitamin D3). After 10 weeks, the mice were analyzed.
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The researchers discovered that the administration of vitamin D3 resulted in better laboratory liver function figures and less infiltration of inflammatory cells into the liver portal area.
Vitamin D3 was associated with a decrease in the release of macrophage-associated inflammatory factors in PBC mice livers. Notably, vitamin D3 supplementation suppressed the infiltration of M1 macrophages in the liver of PBC mice.
Macrophages are known to have a significant role in mediating disease processes in PBC, specifically M1 macrophages, which promote inflammatory responses.
The research team also conducted a study on human individuals. They accessed the GeneCards database to obtain 9,091 vitamin D-related genes, as well as 2,334 PBC-related genes. The researchers found that M1 macrophage infiltration was significantly increased in the liver of individuals with PBC.
Next, the authors studied the impact of calcitriol — the hormonal, biologically active form of vitamin D — in people with PBC. They found that calcitriol was able to effectively alleviate liver damage among patients with PBC. Furthermore, calcitriol treatment was associated with a reduction in liver inflammation in individuals with PBC.
“This study provides novel insights into the immunomodulatory effects of Vitamin D3 in PBC and highlights its potential therapeutic implications,” the authors of the study concluded.
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