Vitamin D accelerates resolution of inflammatory responses during tuberculosis treatment.
Coussens, Anna K;
Wilkinson, Robert J;
Hanifa, Yasmeen;
Nikolayevskyy, Vladyslav;
Elkington, Paul T;
Islam, Kamrul;
Timms, Peter M;
Venton, Timothy R;
Bothamley, Graham H;
Packe, Geoffrey E;
+12 more...Darmalingam, Mathina;
Davidson, Robert N;
Milburn, Heather J;
Baker, Lucy V;
Barker, Richard D;
Mein, Charles A;
Bhaw-Rosun, Leena;
Nuamah, Rosamond;
Young, Douglas B;
Drobniewski, Francis A;
Griffiths, Christopher J;
Martineau, Adrian R;
(2012)
Vitamin D accelerates resolution of inflammatory responses during tuberculosis treatment.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109 (38).
pp. 15449-15454.
ISSN 0027-8424
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1200072109
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Calcidiol, the major circulating metabolite of vitamin D, supports induction of pleiotropic antimicrobial responses in vitro. Vitamin D supplementation elevates circulating calcidiol concentrations, and thus has a potential role in the prevention and treatment of infection. The immunomodulatory effects of administering vitamin D to humans with an infectious disease have not previously been reported. To characterize these effects, we conducted a detailed longitudinal study of circulating and antigen-stimulated immune responses in ninety-five patients receiving antimicrobial therapy for pulmonary tuberculosis who were randomized to receive adjunctive high-dose vitamin D or placebo in a clinical trial, and who fulfilled criteria for per-protocol analysis. Vitamin D supplementation accelerated sputum smear conversion and enhanced treatment-induced resolution of lymphopaenia, monocytosis, hypercytokinaemia, and hyperchemokinaemia. Administration of vitamin D also suppressed antigen-stimulated proinflammatory cytokine responses, but attenuated the suppressive effect of antimicrobial therapy on antigen-stimulated secretion of IL-4, CC chemokine ligand 5, and IFN-α. We demonstrate a previously unappreciated role for vitamin D supplementation in accelerating resolution of inflammatory responses during tuberculosis treatment. Our findings suggest a potential role for adjunctive vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of pulmonary infections to accelerate resolution of inflammatory responses associated with increased risk of mortality.