Vitamin D at the intersection of health and disease: The immunomodulatory perspective
Vitamin D in health and diseaseAbstract
Vitamin D is pivotal to the maintenance of human health and preventing diseases 1. Being highly studied vitamin, vitamin D is required for the functioning of almost all the cells of the human body. Recognized for its ability to support musculoskeletal health, the function of vitamin D extends to neurological and cognitive junctions, gastrointestinal functions, blood pressure regulation, glucose metabolism, physiological cellular functions, besides its hormonal actions to maintain calcium and phosphorous homeostasis 2,3,4. Recently, scientific interest is riveted towards the immune regulatory functions of vitamin D. Nearly all the immune cells express vitamin D receptor (VDR), hence pointing to its ability to modulate innate and adaptive immune mechanisms 5,6. This editorial presents the current knowledge of the functional influence of vitamin D on health and disease, with emphasis on the immunoregulatory mechanisms. It also discusses the possible benefits of vitamin D as therapeutics for degenerative, autoimmune, allergic, and infectious disorders.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).