Association between levels of vitamin D and inflammatory markers in healthy women

Abstract

BackgroundNo one can deny that the biological importance of vitamin D is much beyond its classical role in bone metabolism. Several recent publications have highlighted its potential role in the functioning of the immune system. The overall objective of this study was to look into possible correlations between levels of vitamin D and inflammatory markers in sera of healthy adult women. These markers included proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17, interferon [IFN]-γ, and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α), anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13), as well as C-reactive protein (CRP) as a general indicator of inflammation.MethodsVenous blood samples were collected from 118 healthy adult women and serum levels of vitamin D, CRP, proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17, IFN-γ, and TNF-α), and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13) were measured.ResultsThere were no significant direct correlations between serum levels of vitamin D and any of the inflammatory markers measured. However, subjects with deficient levels of vitamin D and high CRP produced significantly higher levels of the proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-8) as compared to subjects with low CRP levels with nondeficient and deficient levels of vitamin D. Further, the anti-inflammatory/proinflammatory ratios suggest a role of vitamin D in maintaining an anti-inflammatory environment at low levels of CRP, an association that is weaker at high CRP levels in subjects with subclinical inflammatory situations.ConclusionThese data point to a possible role of vitamin D as a contributing factor in balancing cytokines toward an anti-inflammatory role in inflammatory situations.

Association of self-reported symptoms with serum levels of vitamin D and multivariate cytokine profile in healthy women

“…Our data showed that subjects with musculoskeletal pain, sleep disorders, and PMS had statistically significantly higher serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-8, IFN-γ, IL-8, and TNF-α) compared to subjects who did not report similar pain. As there is increasing evidence that vitamin D has regulatory effects on cytokine production,10–12 this encouraged us to stratify our initial grouping of S versus NS further into subgroups based on serum levels of vitamin D: D versus ND. This resulted in four subgroups: S/ND, NS/ND, S/D, and NS/D.…”

“…Deficient levels of vitamin D have been associated with anxiety, low mood, impaired cognitive performance, and depression 4,5. Moreover, overwhelming scientific evidence suggests that maintenance of an adequate vitamin D level is essential in the prevention of a wide variety of health disorders,6–9 and is thought to be one of the key parameters contributing to healthy immune-system function and inflammatory responses 10–12…”

“…Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-17, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) promote inflammation, while anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13, reduce inflammation and promote healing 13,14. An imbalance or excessive production of these cytokines has been linked to different diseases and symptoms, ranging from fever to death and atherosclerosis to cancer 10–16. Dysregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines has also been linked to sickness behavior, such as pain perception, cognitive impairment, depression, and other neurologically related effects 13,14,17.…”

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Vitamin D on Human Immune Cells in the Context of Bacterial Infection

“…Cathelicidin is produced by neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages and has broad antimicrobial activity against bacteria, as well as viruses, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) [57,58]. Moreover, under subclinical inflammatory conditions, vitamin D may be less able to control inflammatory responses in otherwise healthy individuals [59]. Further elucidation of these complex mechanisms are needed to understand how to harness these beneficial effects of vitamin D in humans.…”

Assessment of Interleukin -8 , Interferon - Γ and Vitamin – D in Group of Patients with different types of Tumor in Babylon Province of Iraq

“…Others showed a significant inverse relationship with serum TNF-α but no relationship with CRP, IL-6, or IL-10, or even no significant changes in serum levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, IL-2, IL-6, IFN-γ, or TNF-α. On the other hand, there is accumulating evidence to support an immunoregulatory role of vitamin D, and other studies are showing an association between vitamin D deficiency and a wide range of diseases [19].…”