Chemopreventive effect of a vitamin D(3) analog, alfacalcidol, on colorectal carcinogenesis in mice with ulcerative colitis

IMMUNOMODULATORY ROLE OF VITAMIN D: CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS IN INFECTIONS AND AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS

Vitamin D exerts its well-known effects on bone health and calcium-phosphate homeostasis primarily through the vitamin D receptor signaling pathway. Vitamin D also has several extra-skeletal actions and its deficiency is not only implicated in musculoskeletal disorders, but also cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, neurodegenerative conditions and cancers. There is a growing body of research highlighting the link of vitamin D deficiency and alterations in vitamin D signaling with certain infections and autoimmune disorders although the evidence is inconsistent and inconclusive. Vitamin D has been suggested to play a fundamental role in curbing infections and mitigating autoimmune disease processes. The present review was undertaken to explore the promise of vitamin D as a protective agent and a clinically useful therapeutic adjunct against infections and autoimmune diseases and identify knowledge gaps and limitations of the available data for informing future work. An exhaustive search was conducted in established databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct and Springer for articles published on vitamin D, immunity, infection and autoimmune disorders. All relevant articles published in the English language between the year 200 and 2020 were retrieved for writing the review. Although a considerable body of evidence highlighting the potential clinical benefits of vitamin D against the development of various autoimmune conditions and for the prevention of infections has emerged over the last decade, the findings are limited by the lack of appropriately designed randomized controlled trials which are needed to formulate precise clinical recommendations.

The Role of Pro-Resolving Lipid Mediators in Colorectal Cancer-Associated Inflammation: Implications for Therapeutic Strategies

Inflammation is a recognized hallmark of cancer that contributes to the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Anti-inflammatory drugs currently used for the treatment of CRC show many adverse side effects that prompted researchers to propose the polyunsaturated fatty acids-derived specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) as promoters of resolution of cancer-associated inflammation. SPMs were found to inhibit the CRC-associated pro-inflammatory milieu via specific G-coupled protein receptors, although clinical data are still lacking. This review aims to summarize the state-of-the-art in this field, ultimately providing insights for the development of innovative anti-CRC therapies that promote the endogenous lipid-mediated resolution of CRC-associated inflammation.

Murine Pancreatic Acinar Cell Carcinoma Growth Kinetics Are Independent of Dietary Vitamin D Deficiency or Supplementation

Vitamin D has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy in pancreatic cancer, yet evidence for an effect of dietary vitamin D on pancreatic cancer is ambiguous, with conflicting data from human epidemiological and intervention studies. Here, we tested the role of dietary vitamin D in the in vivo context of the well-characterized Ela1-TAg transgenic mouse model of pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma. Through longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging of mice under conditions of either dietary vitamin D deficiency (<5 IU/kg vitamin D) or excess (76,500 IU/kg vitamin D), compared to control diet (1,500 IU/kg vitamin D), we measured the effect of variation of dietary vitamin D on tumor kinetics. No measurable impact of dietary vitamin D was found on pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma development, growth or mortality, casting further doubt on the already equivocal data supporting potential therapeutic use in humans. The lack of any detectable effect of vitamin D, within the physiological range of dietary deficiency or supplementation, in this model further erodes confidence in vitamin D as an effective antitumor therapeutic in pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma.

Vitamin D in cancer chemoprevention

CONTEXT

There is increasing evidence that Vitamin D (Vit D) and its metabolites, besides their well-known calcium-related functions, may also exert antiproliferative, pro-differentiating, and immune modulatory effects on tumor cells in vitro and may also delay tumor growth in vivo.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review is to provide fresh insight into the most recent advances on the role of Vit D and its analogues as chemopreventive drugs in cancer therapy.

METHODS

A systematic review of experimental and clinical studies on Vit D and cancer was undertaken by using the major electronic health database including ISI Web of Science, Medline, PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Experimental and clinical observations suggest that Vit D and its analogues may be effective in preventing the malignant transformation and/or the progression of various types of human tumors including breast cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and some hematological malignances. These findings suggest the possibility of the clinical use of these molecules as novel potential chemopreventive and anticancer agents.

Rodent intestinal epithelial carcinogenesis: pathology and preclinical models

Colon cancer is a major human malignancy that afflicts millions of people throughout the world each year. Genetics and diet play large roles in colon carcinogenesis although chemicals may also contribute. For the past 40 years, scientists have studied experimentally induced intestinal carcinogenesis in rodents in order to elucidate the etiology and mechanisms involved. Comparative histopathology has revealed many similarities of rodent and human intestinal cancers. Comparative molecular pathology has also shown genetic similarities. More recently, genetically engineered mice and inflammatory colon cancer models have been used for investigating mechanisms and potential chemopreventive and treatment modalities. This review will focus on comparative histopathology and nonclinical models.

Nitric oxide as a target of complementary and alternative medicines to prevent and treat inflammation and cancer

Nitric oxide (NO) and associated reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are involved in many physiological functions. There has been an ongoing debate to whether RNS can inhibit or perpetuate chronic inflammation and associated carcinogenesis. Although the final outcome depends on the genetic make-up of its target, the surrounding microenvironment, the activity and localization of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms, and overall levels of NO/RNS, evidence is accumulating that in general, RNS drive inflammation and cancers associated with inflammation. To this end, many complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) that work in chemoprevention associated with chronic inflammation, are inhibitors of excessive NO observed in inflammatory conditions. Here, we review recent literature outlining a role of NO/RNS in chronic inflammation and cancer, and point toward NO as one of several targets for the success of CAMs in treating chronic inflammation and cancer associated with this inflammation.