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Impact of vitamin D supplementation on markers of inflammation in adults with cystic fibrosis hospitalized for a pulmonary exacerbation

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 66, pages 1072–1074 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) suffer from chronic lung infection and inflammation leading to respiratory failure. Vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with CF, and correction of vitamin D deficiency may improve innate immunity and reduce inflammation in patients with CF. We conducted a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial of high-dose vitamin D to assess the impact of vitamin D therapy on antimicrobial peptide concentrations and markers of inflammation. We randomized 30 adults with CF hospitalized with a pulmonary exacerbation to 250 000 IU of cholecalciferol or placebo, and evaluated changes in plasma concentrations of inflammatory markers and the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 at baseline and 12 weeks post intervention. In the vitamin D group, there was a 50.4% reduction in tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) at 12 weeks (P<0.01), and there was a trend for a 64.5% reduction in interleukin-6 (IL-6) (P=0.09). There were no significant changes in IL-1β, IL-8, IL-10, IL-18BP and NGAL (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin). We conclude that a large bolus dose of vitamin D is associated with reductions in two inflammatory cytokines, IL-6 and TNF-α. This study supports the concept that vitamin D may help regulate inflammation in CF, and that further research is needed to elucidate the potential mechanisms involved and the impact on clinical outcomes.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by the following grants: PHS Grant UL1 RR025008 from the Clinical and Translational Science Award program, National Institutes of Health, grant numbers TL1 RR025010 and K23AR054334, and the CF Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Emory Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Nutrition Health Sciences Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    R E Grossmann & V Tangpricha

  2. Division of Pulmonology, Department of Pediatrics, Allergy/Immunology, Cystic Fibrosis, and Sleep, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA

    S M Zughaier

  3. Center for Cystic Fibrosis Research, Children′s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA

    S M Zughaier & V Tangpricha

  4. Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    S Liu & R H Lyles

  5. Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Metabolism and Lipids, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA

    V Tangpricha

  6. Staff Physician, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Atlanta, GA, USA

    V Tangpricha

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  1. R E Grossmann
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  2. S M Zughaier
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  3. S Liu
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  4. R H Lyles
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  5. V Tangpricha
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Correspondence to V Tangpricha.

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Competing interests

Dr Tangpricha received an unrestricted research grant from BTR, Group (a vitamin D supplement company). The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Grossmann, R., Zughaier, S., Liu, S. et al. Impact of vitamin D supplementation on markers of inflammation in adults with cystic fibrosis hospitalized for a pulmonary exacerbation. Eur J Clin Nutr 66, 1072–1074 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2012.82

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2012.82

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