School of Arts and Sciences, American University in Dubai, P. O. Box 28282, Dubai, UAE.
Nutrients. 2013 Sep 30;5(10):3993-4021. doi: 10.3390/nu5103993.
The metabolite of vitamin D, 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ (also known as calcitriol), is a biologically active molecule required to maintain the physiological functions of several target tissues in the human body from conception to adulthood. Its molecular mode of action ranges from immediate nongenomic responses to longer term mechanisms that exert persistent genomic effects. The genomic mechanisms of vitamin D action rely on cross talk between 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ signaling pathways and that of other growth factors or hormones that collectively regulate cell proliferation, differentiation and cell survival. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate a role for vitamin D (calcitriol) in modulating cellular growth and development. Vitamin D (calcitriol) acts as an antiproliferative agent in many tissues and significantly slows malignant cellular growth. Moreover, epidemiological studies have suggested that ultraviolet-B exposure can help reduce cancer risk and prevalence, indicating a potential role for vitamin D as a feasible agent to prevent cancer incidence and recurrence. With the preventive potential of this biologically active agent, we suggest that countries where cancer is on the rise--yet where sunlight and, hence, vitamin D may be easily acquired--adopt awareness, education and implementation strategies to increase supplementation with vitamin D in all age groups as a preventive measure to reduce cancer risk and prevalence.
维生素 D 的代谢产物 1α,25-二羟维生素 D₃（也称为骨化三醇）是一种生物活性分子，它对于维持人体从受孕到成年的几个靶组织的生理功能是必需的。其分子作用模式范围从即刻非基因组反应到发挥持久基因组效应的长期机制。维生素 D 作用的基因组机制依赖于 1α,25-二羟维生素 D₃信号通路与其他生长因子或激素之间的串扰，这些因子或激素共同调节细胞增殖、分化和细胞存活。体外和体内研究表明维生素 D（骨化三醇）在调节细胞生长和发育方面具有作用。维生素 D（骨化三醇）在许多组织中作为抗增殖剂，显著减缓恶性细胞生长。此外，流行病学研究表明，紫外线-B 暴露可以帮助降低癌症风险和发病率，表明维生素 D 作为一种可行的预防癌症发生和复发的药物具有潜在作用。鉴于这种生物活性药物的预防潜力，我们建议在癌症发病率上升的国家——这些国家阳光充足，因此很容易获得维生素 D——采取宣传、教育和实施策略，增加所有年龄段人群的维生素 D 补充，作为降低癌症风险和发病率的预防措施。
