1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D₃ inhibits neutrophil recruitment in hamster model of acute lung injury.

The chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) is involved in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI). Although several studies have reported that 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1α,25(OH)(2)D(3)) suppresses IL-8 production in vitro and in vivo, 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) has not been demonstrated to be effective in an animal model of ALI. Here, we determined its effects of 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) in a hamster model where ALI was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) inhalation. 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) inhibited neutrophil recruitment in the lung by approximately 40% without increasing plasma calcium concentration, while it did not inhibit monocyte recruitment. Our findings show that vitamin D(3) analogues may be suitable as novel anti-inflammatory agents for ALI.