The Role of Vitamin D in Human Health and Diseases 4.0

Dear Colleagues,

Vitamin D has been described as a differentiative hormone, but this definition is reductive for molecule targeting of every tissue, produced in its active form by many kinds of cells and effective over the whole life of a cell by means of different mechanisms, which lead to nuclear, non-genomic, and mitochondrial effects. In fact, vitamin D not only controls the transcription of thousands of genes, directly or indirectly through the modulation of calcium fluxes, but also influences cell metabolism to support specific nuclear programs. Given its broad spectrum of activity and molecular and cellular targets, it is not surprising that a deficiency in vitamin D is involved in many pathologies. In addition to its well-known impact on several functions, such as bone remodeling, skin differentiation, and the immune system, to cite just a few, many other tissues depend heavily on vitamin D for their health, and, therefore, the correlation between low levels of vitamin D and the onset of many diseases has been reported. However, many other links could be revealed. For example, considering the current COVID-19 pandemic, a recent discovery showed that a deficiency in vitamin D is among the risk factors associated with the severity of COVID-19 symptoms and outcomes.

In vitro studies and those in animal models have demonstrated the efficacy of vitamin D treatment in many models of disease and have underlined the beneficial effects of vitamin D supplementation on health and prevention, as well as the regression of multiple diseases. As a result, several clinical trials are testing the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in human dysfunctions; although some results are encouraging, a few discrepancies can be observed due to differences in therapy protocols and resistance to the hormone, and in general, these discrepancies can be explained by an individual’s sensitivity to its action. More studies, both in vitro and in vivo, are needed to verify the mechanisms involved in successful or failed treatment with vitamin D, and further investigation is essential to set out an approach from bench to bedside, underlying personalized medicine.

This Special Issue gives insight into the evolving field of vitamin D regarding its mechanisms of action, causes of a deficit, proper supplementation, health benefits, and clinical applications.

Dr. Loredana Bergandi
Dr. Francesca Silvagno
Guest Editors

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• vitamin D
• vitamin D receptor
• health
• disease
• inflammation
• gene transcription
• cell metabolism
• differentiation
• vitamin D deficiency
• vitamin D supplementation

• The Role of Vitamin D in Human Health and Diseases in International Journal of Molecular Sciences (11 articles)
• The Role of Vitamin D in Human Health and Diseases 2.0 in International Journal of Molecular Sciences (18 articles)
• The Role of Vitamin D in Human Health and Diseases 3.0 in International Journal of Molecular Sciences (10 articles)