Table 2.
Clinical and non-clinical effect of Vitamin D on various target organs
| Function | Target Organ/Function | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Inhibits in vitro HCV replication in a dose-dependent manner | Liver | [55] |
| Vitamin D supplementation may improve SVR rate in HCV among various genotypes | Liver | [128] |
| Low vitamin D level leads to non-responsiveness to interferon based treatment | Liver | [164–166] |
| Vitamin D deficiency causes downregulation of 25-hydroxylase CYP27A1 in, liver resulting in increased fibrosis and low SVR | Liver | [164, 167] |
| Deficiency causes increase in fibrosis and inflammation in liver | Liver | [164–166, 168, 169] |
| Supplementation/phototherapy improves liver histology in preclinical studies of NAFLD | Liver[NAFLD] | [170, 171] |
| Supplementation prevents liver fibrosis in preclinical studies | Liver[NAFLD] | [171, 172] |
| Low vitamin D level causes severe steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis | Liver[NAFLD] | [167, 169, 173, 174] |
| Vitamin D deficiency causes increased hepatic expression of TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9, which are implicated in NAFLD pathogenesis | Liver[NAFLD] | [174] |
| Vitamin D increases Ca and PO4 absorption from small intestine | Calcium and Bone | [175] |
| It Suppresses PTH secretion and Induces osteoclast maturation | Calcium and Bone | [175, 176] |
| Normal vitamin D level lowers prevalence of metabolic syndrome by 67% | Pancreatic functions | [177] |
| Supplementation improves insulin sensitivity and lowers risk of developing type 2 diabetes | Pancreatic functions | [178] |
| Vitamin D deficiency increases chances of insulin resistance | Pancreatic functions | [179] |
| Impaired pancreatic β-cell function in cases of low vitamin D level | Pancreatic functions | [180, 181] |
| Low level of vitamin D decreases macrophage TLR response and increase chances of TB infection | Innate Immunity | [182] |
| Vitamin D is essential for NK cell development and function | Innate Immunity | [183] |
| Vitamin D Inhibits proliferation of Th1 lymphocytes | Adaptive Immune System | [184] |
| Supplementation decreases risk of developing MS in women and type 1 diabetes in children | Adaptive Immune System | [177, 185] |
| Low vitamin D level increases risk of M. tuberculosis infection | Immunity | [186–189] |
| Normal Vitamin D level decreased population incidence of autoimmune diseases such as MS | Immunity | [190] |
| Higher 25(OH)D levels associated with lower incidence of colorectal adenoma | Carcinogenesis | [191] |
| Sunlight exposure associated with reduced risk of NHL | Carcinogenesis | [192] |
| Vitamin D decreased risk of colon, breast and prostate cancer | Carcinogenesis | [193–198] |
| Vitamin D deficiency is associated with bone weakness and painful crises | SCD | [199, 200] |
| vitamin D deficiency and its potential association with acute pain in SCD | SCD | [38] |
SVR Sustained Virological Response, NAFLD Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, TLR Toll like Receptor, PTH Parathyroid Hormone, MS Multiple Sclerosis, NHL Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, SCD Sickle Cell Disease