La vitamine D : Les nouvelles fonctions d'une ancienne vitamine

Abstract

Vitamin D has long been known for its anti-rachitic properties. Recent research developements have pointed out its numerous in vitro and in vivo actions on the proliferation-differentiation of epidermal and cancer cells, as well as on the recruitment, differentiation and activities of the immune cells. Emerging evidence for associations between the genotype of the vitamin D receptor and the susceptibility to develop cancer, tuberculosis, or auto-immune diseases, brings further support to the physiological importance of these actions, although they do not seem to reflect as essential functions as the classical ones on calcium homeostasis and skeletal mineralization. Nevertheless, these recently discovered actions have led to the development of new therapeutical tools for the treatment of psoriasis and investigations are currently under way to evaluate the possible beneficial effects of the active form of vitamin D, and of less hypercalcemic analogs, in patients with, or at risk for, colo-rectal, breast and prostate cancer, in patients with autoimmune diseases, and for prolonging allograft survival.