Department of Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30270-901, MG, Brazil.
Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30270-901, MG, Brazil.
Viruses. 2023 Dec 15;15(12):2434. doi: 10.3390/v15122434.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (β-CoV) betacoronavirus has posed a significant threat to global health. Despite the availability of vaccines, the virus continues to spread, and there is a need for alternative strategies to alleviate its impact. Vitamin D, a secosteroid hormone best known for its role in bone health, exhibits immunomodulatory effects in certain viral infections. Here, we have shown that bioactive vitamin D (calcitriol) limits in vitro replication of SARS-CoV-2 and murine coronaviruses MHV-3 and MHV-A59. Comparative studies involving wild-type mice intranasally infected with MHV-3, a model for studying β-CoV respiratory infections, confirmed the protective effect of vitamin D in vivo. Accordingly, mice fed a standard diet rapidly succumbed to MHV-3 infection, whereas those on a vitamin D-rich diet (10,000 IU of Vitamin D/kg) displayed increased resistance to acute respiratory damage and systemic complications. Consistent with these findings, the vitamin D-supplemented group exhibited lower viral titers in their lungs and reduced levels of TNF, IL-6, IL-1β, and IFN-γ, alongside an enhanced type I interferon response. Altogether, our findings suggest vitamin D supplementation ameliorates β-CoV-triggered respiratory illness and systemic complications in mice, likely via modulation of the host's immune response to the virus.
由 SARS-CoV-2（β-CoV）贝塔冠状病毒引起的 COVID-19 大流行对全球健康构成了重大威胁。尽管有疫苗可用，但病毒仍在继续传播，需要采取替代策略来减轻其影响。维生素 D 是一种甾体激素，以其在骨骼健康中的作用而闻名，它在某些病毒感染中具有免疫调节作用。在这里，我们已经表明生物活性维生素 D（骨化三醇）限制了 SARS-CoV-2 和鼠冠状病毒 MHV-3 和 MHV-A59 的体外复制。涉及用 MHV-3 鼻腔感染野生型小鼠的比较研究，MHV-3 是研究β-CoV 呼吸道感染的模型，证实了维生素 D 在体内的保护作用。因此，喂食标准饮食的小鼠很快死于 MHV-3 感染，而喂食富含维生素 D 的饮食（10000IU 维生素 D/kg）的小鼠对急性呼吸损伤和全身并发症的抵抗力增强。与这些发现一致的是，补充维生素 D 的组在肺部的病毒滴度较低，TNF、IL-6、IL-1β 和 IFN-γ 的水平降低，同时 I 型干扰素反应增强。总之，我们的研究结果表明，维生素 D 补充可改善小鼠由β-CoV 引发的呼吸道疾病和全身并发症，可能通过调节宿主对病毒的免疫反应。
