Immunomodulatory Effect of Vitamin D in Children with Allergic Diseases

Abstract

The discovery that many cells express vitamin D receptors and the recognition of widespread vitamin D insufficiency has stimulated interest in the potential role of vitamin D in nonskeleton conditions. There is an increasing evidence to support the role of vitamin D pathway in the regulation of the function of both innate and adoptive immune systems. Vitamin D regulates immune function by inhibiting the differentiation and maturation of human dendritic cells, enhancing interleukin (IL)-10 and tumor growth factor-β (TGF-β) secretion and inhibiting T-cell functions. Vitamin D has the ability to suppress inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1 (IL-1), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and interleukin-2 (IL-2), while it increases the generation of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10. In B cells, vitamin D3 has also been shown to suppress immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody class switch partly through the inhibition of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB).