Vitamin D as a Potential Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis: Where Are We?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system and is caused by an aberrant immune response to myelin sheath. Disease-modifying medications, which mainly aim to suppress such aberrant immune response, have significantly improved MS treatment. However, the di...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-04-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/9/3102 |
| _version_ | 1797569314072559616 |
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| author | Samiksha Wasnik Isha Sharma David J. Baylink Xiaolei Tang |
| author_facet | Samiksha Wasnik Isha Sharma David J. Baylink Xiaolei Tang |
| author_sort | Samiksha Wasnik |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system and is caused by an aberrant immune response to myelin sheath. Disease-modifying medications, which mainly aim to suppress such aberrant immune response, have significantly improved MS treatment. However, the disease severity continues to worsen. In contrast, progressively more data suggest that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D or 1,25(OH)<sub>2</sub>D, i.e., the active vitamin D, suppresses the differentiation of potentially pathogenic T cells associated with MS, enhances the differentiation of regulatory T cells that suppress the pathogenic T cells, and promotes remyelination. These novel 1,25(OH)<sub>2</sub>D functions have encouraged investigators to develop vitamin D as a potential therapy for MS. However, because of the hypercalcemia that is associated with high 1,25(OH)<sub>2</sub>D concentrations, supplementation of native vitamin D has been a major focus in clinical trials for the treatment of MS, but such trials have produced mixed data. In this article, we will review current progress in the supplementation of different vitamin D forms for the treatment of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (i.e., an MS animal model) as well as MS. Furthermore, we will review alternative strategies that our laboratory and others are pursuing in an attempt to circumvent the hurdles that are hampering the effective use of vitamin D as a potential therapy for MS. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:10:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-210edd193aaa454e96d2286d7ab91ec9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:10:12Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-210edd193aaa454e96d2286d7ab91ec92023-11-19T22:59:05ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672020-04-01219310210.3390/ijms21093102Vitamin D as a Potential Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis: Where Are We?Samiksha Wasnik0Isha Sharma1David J. Baylink2Xiaolei Tang3Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USADepartment of Pathology & Medicine, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USADivision of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USADepartment of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Long Island University, Brookville, NY 11548, USAMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system and is caused by an aberrant immune response to myelin sheath. Disease-modifying medications, which mainly aim to suppress such aberrant immune response, have significantly improved MS treatment. However, the disease severity continues to worsen. In contrast, progressively more data suggest that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D or 1,25(OH)<sub>2</sub>D, i.e., the active vitamin D, suppresses the differentiation of potentially pathogenic T cells associated with MS, enhances the differentiation of regulatory T cells that suppress the pathogenic T cells, and promotes remyelination. These novel 1,25(OH)<sub>2</sub>D functions have encouraged investigators to develop vitamin D as a potential therapy for MS. However, because of the hypercalcemia that is associated with high 1,25(OH)<sub>2</sub>D concentrations, supplementation of native vitamin D has been a major focus in clinical trials for the treatment of MS, but such trials have produced mixed data. In this article, we will review current progress in the supplementation of different vitamin D forms for the treatment of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (i.e., an MS animal model) as well as MS. Furthermore, we will review alternative strategies that our laboratory and others are pursuing in an attempt to circumvent the hurdles that are hampering the effective use of vitamin D as a potential therapy for MS.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/9/3102multiple sclerosisexperimental autoimmune encephalomyelitisvitamin D1,25(OH)<sub>2</sub>Dhypercalcemia |
| spellingShingle | Samiksha Wasnik Isha Sharma David J. Baylink Xiaolei Tang Vitamin D as a Potential Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis: Where Are We? International Journal of Molecular Sciences multiple sclerosis experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis vitamin D 1,25(OH)<sub>2</sub>D hypercalcemia |
| title | Vitamin D as a Potential Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis: Where Are We? |
| title_full | Vitamin D as a Potential Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis: Where Are We? |
| title_fullStr | Vitamin D as a Potential Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis: Where Are We? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vitamin D as a Potential Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis: Where Are We? |
| title_short | Vitamin D as a Potential Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis: Where Are We? |
| title_sort | vitamin d as a potential therapy for multiple sclerosis where are we |
| topic | multiple sclerosis experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis vitamin D 1,25(OH)<sub>2</sub>D hypercalcemia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/9/3102 |
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