Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Aug 15;23(16):9135.
doi: 10.3390/ijms23169135.

Vitamin D and the Kidney: Two Players, One Console

Fulvia Zappulo  1 , Maria Cappuccilli  1 , Alessandra Cingolani  1 , Anna Scrivo  1 , Anna Laura Croci Chiocchini  1 , Miriam Di Nunzio  1 , Chiara Donadei  1 , Marianna Napoli  1 , Francesco Tondolo  1 , Giuseppe Cianciolo  1 , Gaetano La Manna  1
Affiliations
Review

Vitamin D and the Kidney: Two Players, One Console

Fulvia Zappulo et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Vitamin D belongs to the group of liposoluble steroids mainly involved in bone metabolism by modulating calcium and phosphorus absorption or reabsorption at various levels, as well as parathyroid hormone production. Recent evidence has shown the extra-bone effects of vitamin D, including glucose homeostasis, cardiovascular protection, and anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative effects. This narrative review provides an overall view of vitamin D's role in different settings, with a special focus on chronic kidney disease and kidney transplant.

Keywords: calcium; cardiovascular disease; cholecalciferol; chronic kidney disease–mineral and bone disorder; fibroblast growth factor 23; kidney transplantation; parathyroid hormone; vitamin D; vitamin D receptor.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Systemic effect of vitamin D. Ca, calcium; P, phosphorus; PTH, parathyroid hormone.
Figure 2
Figure 2
CKD-MBD pathogenesis and its main systemic effects. FGF23, fibroblast growth factor 23; P, phosphorus; PTH, parathyroid hormone; Ca, calcium.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pleiotropic effect of vitamin D. CKD, chronic kidney disease; EGFR, epidermal growth factor receptor; ESRD, end-stage renal disease; IF/TA, interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy; IL-6, interleukin 6; RAAS, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system; TGF-α, transforming growth factor alpha.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Heaney R.P. Vitamin D in Health and Disease. Clin. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 2008;3:1535–1541. doi: 10.2215/CJN.01160308. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Holick M.F. Vitamin D Status: Measurement, Interpretation, and Clinical Application. Ann. Epidemiol. 2009;19:73–78. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2007.12.001. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Holick M.F. High Prevalence of Vitamin D Inadequacy and Implications for Health. Mayo Clin. Proc. 2006;81:353–373. doi: 10.4065/81.3.353. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bouillon R., Carmeliet G., Verlinden L., van Etten E., Verstuyf A., Luderer H.F., Lieben L., Mathieu C., DeMay M. Vitamin D and Human Health: Lessons from Vitamin D Receptor Null Mice. Endocr. Rev. 2008;29:726–776. doi: 10.1210/er.2008-0004. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jones G., Prosser D.E., Kaufmann M. Cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism of vitamin D. J. Lipid Res. 2014;55:13–31. doi: 10.1194/jlr.R031534. - DOI - PMC - PubMed