Discipline of Medical Biochemistry, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, Durban 4041, South Africa.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Oct 14;23(20):12292. doi: 10.3390/ijms232012292.
The highly transmittable and infectious COVID-19 remains a major threat worldwide, with the elderly and comorbid individuals being the most vulnerable. While vaccines are currently available, therapeutic drugs will help ease the viral outbreak and prevent serious health outcomes. Epigenetic modifications regulate gene expression through changes in chromatin structure and have been linked to viral pathophysiology. Since epigenetic modifications contribute to the life cycle of the virus and host immune responses to infection, epigenetic drugs are promising treatment targets to ameliorate COVID-19. Deficiency of the multifunctional secosteroid hormone vitamin D is a global health threat. Vitamin D and its receptor function to regulate genes involved in immunity, apoptosis, proliferation, differentiation, and inflammation. Amassed evidence also indicates the biological relations of vitamin D with reduced disease risk, while its receptor can be modulated by epigenetic mechanisms. The immunomodulatory effects of vitamin D suggest a role for vitamin D as a COVID-19 therapeutic agent. Therefore, this review highlights the epigenetic effects on COVID-19 and vitamin D while also proposing a role for vitamin D in COVID-19 infections.
高度传染性和感染性的 COVID-19 仍然是全球的主要威胁，老年人和合并症患者是最脆弱的群体。虽然目前有疫苗可用，但治疗药物将有助于缓解病毒爆发并防止严重的健康后果。表观遗传修饰通过改变染色质结构来调节基因表达，并且与病毒病理生理学有关。由于表观遗传修饰有助于病毒的生命周期和宿主对感染的免疫反应，因此表观遗传药物是改善 COVID-19 的有前途的治疗靶点。多功能固醇激素维生素 D 的缺乏是全球健康威胁。维生素 D 及其受体的功能是调节参与免疫、细胞凋亡、增殖、分化和炎症的基因。积累的证据还表明维生素 D 与降低疾病风险之间存在生物学关系，而其受体可以通过表观遗传机制进行调节。维生素 D 的免疫调节作用表明维生素 D 可以作为 COVID-19 的治疗剂。因此，本综述强调了 COVID-19 和维生素 D 的表观遗传作用，同时还提出了维生素 D 在 COVID-19 感染中的作用。
