Vitamin D, Immune Response, and Autoimmune Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

It is a great pleasure for me to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue concerning the extra-skeletal effects of vitamin D and, in particular, its relationship with the cells involved in the immune response and the risk of developing autoimmune diseases.

In fact, beyond the well-known endocrinological effects on skeletal mineral metabolism, vitamin D, being a steroid hormone, exerts proven antiproliferative and antiviral/antibacterial effects, together with the regulation of the immune system, with an autocrine/paracrine action mechanism.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has sparked renewed interest in the anti-inflammatory properties of vitamin D. Furthermore, the link between hypovitaminosis D and predisposition to autoimmune disease has been deeply investigated over the years, with particular interest in type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis and musculoskeletal/connective tissue diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus). A large plethora of immune cells, such as neutrophils, monocytes/macrophages, and T and B lymphocytes are characterized by the presence of vitamin D receptor (VDR) and synthesize the biologically active form of vitamin D, regulating inflammation and innate and adaptive immunity locally and systematically.

On this basis, the current Special Issue aims to collect the most recent advances concerning immune system modulatory effects exerted by vitamin D, as well as their implications in clinical and therapeutical practice (original articles, reviews, human ex vivo and in vitro translational studies).

Prof. Dr. Maurizio Cutolo
Guest Editor

Dr. Emanuele Gotelli
Guest Editor Assistant

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