VITAMIN D AND VITAMIN D RECEPTOR GENE IN OSTEOARTHRITIS

Abstract

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative, painful and irreversible disease that affects millions of people worldwide. The causes and mecha-nisms of osteoarthritis have not been fully understood. Vitamin D is an essential factor in bone metabolism. Its actions are mediated by the vitamin D receptor, a transcription factor that controls gene expression, thus maintaining calcium and phosphate homeostasis. Vitamin D has been hypothesized to play essential role in a number of musculoskeletal diseases including osteoarthritis, and its deficiency is prevalent among osteoarthri-tis patients. A large number of studies have been done regarding the effects of vitamin D in pathogenesis and progression of oste-oarthritis, as well as its use a therapeutic agent. Up to date, studies have provided controversial results, and no consensus con-cerning this matter was achieved. With this review, we aim to ex-plore current data on the possible role of vitamin D and its receptor in pathogenesis of osteoarthritis and assess the efficiency of vitamin D supplementation as a therapeutic strategy.