Vitamin D Attenuates Cytokine-Induced Remodeling in Human Fetal Airway Smooth Muscle Cells

Rodney D. Britt, Arij Faksh, Elizabeth R. Vogel, Michael A. Thompson, Vivian Chu, Hitesh C. Pandya, Yassine Amrani, Richard J. Martin, Christina M. Pabelick, Y. S. Prakash

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

Asthma in the pediatric population remains a significant contributor to morbidity and increasing healthcare costs. Vitamin D3 insufficiency and deficiency have been associated with development of asthma. Recent studies in models of adult airway diseases suggest that the bioactive Vitamin D3 metabolite, calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3; 1,25(OH)2D3), modulates responses to inflammation; however, this concept has not been explored in developing airways in the context of pediatric asthma. We used human fetal airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells as a model of the early postnatal airway to explore how calcitriol modulates remodeling induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines. Cells were pre-treated with calcitriol and then exposed to TNFα or TGFβ for up to 72h. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity, production of extracellular matrix (ECM), and cell proliferation were assessed. Calcitriol attenuated TNFα enhancement of MMP-9 expression and activity. Additionally, calcitriol attenuated TNFα and TGFβ-induced collagen III expression and deposition, and separately, inhibited proliferation of fetal ASM cells induced by either inflammatory mediator. Analysis of signaling pathways suggested that calcitriol effects in fetal ASM involve ERK signaling, but not other major inflammatory pathways. Overall, our data demonstrate that calcitriol can blunt multiple effects of TNFα and TGFβ in developing airway, and point to a potentially novel approach to alleviating structural changes in inflammatory airway diseases of childhood. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 1189-1198, 2015.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1189-1198
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Cellular Physiology
Volume230
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2015

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Clinical Biochemistry
  • Cell Biology

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