Dose-Dependent Effects of Maternal Vitamin D₃ on Offspring IL-6 and IL-1β in a Rat Model
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Objective: Vitamin D₃ is increasingly recognized for its role in immune regulation, particularly in modulating proinflammatory cytokines during early development. This study aimed to investigate the dose dependent effects of maternal vitamin D₃ supplementation during pregnancy and lactation on offspring inflammatory cytokine levels, focusing on interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Materials and Methods: Twelve pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four groups: one control and three treatment groups receiving vitamin D₃ at 62, 415 and 663 IU/kg body weight/day, respectively. Supplementation was administered orally from gestation day 1 to postnatal day 23. Offspring were subjected to an acute inflammatory challenge via lipopolysaccharide injection, after which induration size was measured. Serum levels of vitamin D₃, IL-1β and IL-6 in six offspring per group were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by the least significant difference (LSD) post hoc test. Results: No significant difference was observed in post-injection induration size between groups (p>0.05). However, the group receiving 663 IU/kg/day vitamin D₃ exhibited significantly higher serum vitamin D₃ levels (21.15 ± 15.8 ng/mL) compared with controls (3.56 ± 3.20 ng/mL, p=0.023), along with significantly lower IL-1β level (33.5 ± 25.44 pg/mL, p<0.001). IL-6 levels showed a similar decreasing trend. Serum vitamin D₃ was moderately and inversely correlated with IL-1β (r= –0.43, p=0.042). Conclusion: Maternal vitamin D₃ supplementation during gestation and lactation elevated serum vitamin D₃ and suppressed IL-1β and IL-6 levels in offspring, suggesting a dose-dependent immunomodulatory effect. These findings highlight the potential of maternal vitamin D₃ status to influence inflammatory responses during early life. Keywords: Inflammation IL-1β, and, IL-6 maternal, supplementation vitamin, D₃
Source: Turkish Journal of Immunology
Language: English
Topic: Vitamin D Research Studies
Subfield: Pathology and Forensic Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7124131069