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Vitamin D may be a remedy for asthma and chronic bronchitis
Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania (USA) found that vitamin D slows the deterioration of respiratory function in people with asthma and chronic bronchitis. This occurs due to slow proliferation of smooth muscle in the airways.

In the experiment with cells taken from healthy people and people suffering from bronchial asthma, calcitriol, which is a form of vitamin D, reduced the production of growth factor that causes proliferation of smooth muscle cells. Cell growth – part of a process called remodeling. Remodeling occurs in many people with asthma, over time it leads to an irreversible deterioration of lung function.

“Anti-inflammatory effects of calcitriol have recently attracted considerable attention of scientists. In our study, the first time been able to assess the impact kaltsiotriola on airway smooth muscle “, – said the main author of Gautam Damera.
For their experiment, scientists took cells from 12 people and compared the results of exposure to calcitriol and corticosteroid dexamethasone, which is often prescribed to treat asthma. Although dexamethasone – a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, it has little influence on the growth of smooth muscle cells of the respiratory tract.

Gautam Damera and his colleagues found that the effect of calcitriol is dose-dependent, with maximum inhibitory effect observed at a dosage of 60% + / – 3% at 100 nm.

Now scientists are planning to conduct a study involving patients with severe bronchial asthma. According to the authors, calcitriol, thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative properties, may be an important tool for the treatment of asthma, including one that defies the impact of corticosteroids.

Scientists have tried to find out due to what calcitriol stop proliferation of smooth muscle cells. The experimental results showed that the vitamin inhibits the activation of proteins responsible for the course of the life cycle of cells.

They also conducted experiments to see if you can apply calcitriol, which is already used to treat psoriasis, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. According to their data, vitamin effectively suppressed production of proinflammatory cytokines in this disease. As in the case of asthma, the authors believe that calcitriol can help if not stop, then at least slow down remodeling the airways.

Some researchers also suggest that calcitriol can be used to stop the growth of certain types of malignant tumors.

On materials American Thoracic Society.