High dose vitamin D exacerbates central nervous system autoimmunity by raising T-cell excitatory calcium.

ABSTRACT: Poor vitamin D status is associated with a higher relapse rate and earlier disability in multiple sclerosis. Based on these associations, patients with multiple sclerosis are frequently supplemented with the vitamin D precursor cholecalciferol, although it is unclear whether this regimen is of therapeutic benefit. To model consequences of this common practice, mice were fed for more than 3 months with a low, medium or high dose of cholecalciferol, representative of vitamin D deficiency, modest and disproportionally high supplementation, respectively, in patients with multiple sclerosis. Compared to vitamin D-deprived mice, its moderate supplementation reduced the severity of subsequent experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, which was associated with an expansion of regulatory T cells.

SUBMITTER: Hausler D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6736324 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature