Given the protective roles of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D or vitamin D) in musculoskeletal health and the potential beneficial effects of vitamin D supplementation in reducing the risk of various chronic diseases, intensive repletion of vitamin D has been widely advocated. Of note, CD8 T cells have the highest levels of the vitamin D receptor compared with other major immune cells. The effects of vitamin D on CD8 T cells during aging, however, remain unclear. This study determined the relationship between vitamin D levels and CD8 T-cell status in 34 healthy female subjects (all >60 years old). The CD8 T cell phenotype was defined by the surface expression of CD28 and CD95. The low-25(OH)D serum groups (≤30 ng/ml) had higher percentages of CD28+CD95-CD8+ (naïve) T cells and lower percentages of CD28+CD95+CD8+ (effector) T cells. By contrast, subjects with high levels of 25(OH)D had very low percentages of naïve CD8 T cells but very high percentages of effector CD8 T cells. There was a significant inverse correlation between 25(OH)D levels and the frequency of naïve CD8 T cells. The results show that higher levels of vitamin D are correlated with decreased frequencies of naïve CD8 T cells during early aging, suggesting that higher levels of 25(OH)D accelerate CD8 T-cell senescence. These results warrant the further evaluation of the effects of vitamin D supplementation in immune aging.
CITATION STYLE
Hwang, Y. G., Hsu, H.-C., Lim, F. C., Wu, Q., Yang, P., Fisher, G., … Mountz, J. D. (2013). Increased vitamin D is associated with decline of naïve, but accumulation of effector, CD8 T cells during early aging. Advances in Aging Research, 02(02), 72–80. https://doi.org/10.4236/aar.2013.22010
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