Nutritional Vitamin D in Renal Transplant Patients: Speculations and Reality

Overview

Journal Nutrients

Date 2017 May 31

PMID 28554998

Citations 14

Authors

Piergiorgio Messa

Anna Regalia

Carlo Maria Alfieri

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Reduced levels of nutritional vitamin D are commonly observed in most chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and particularly in patients who have received a kidney transplant (KTx). In the complex clinical scenario characterizing the recipients of a renal graft, nutritional vitamin D deficiency has been put in relation not only to the changes of mineral and bone metabolism (MBM) after KTx, but also to most of the medical complications which burden KTx patients. In fact, referring to its alleged pleiotropic (non-MBM related) activities, vitamin D has been claimed to play some role in the occurrence of cardiovascular, metabolic, immunologic, neoplastic and infectious complications commonly observed in KTx recipients. Furthermore, low nutritional vitamin D levels have also been connected with graft dysfunction occurrence and progression. In this review, we will discuss the purported and the demonstrated effects of native vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in most of the above mentioned fields, dealing separately with the MBM-related and the pleiotropic effects.

Citing Articles

Low 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Post-Kidney Transplant Is Associated with Increased Risk of BK Polyomavirus-Associated Nephropathy.

Raj S, Zhou A, Fedorova E, Yuan Z, Mandelbrot D, Astor B Microorganisms. 2025; 12(12.

PMID: 39770789 PMC: 11678680. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12122588.

Vitamin D: A Bridge between Kidney and Heart.

Secondulfo C, Visco V, Virtuoso N, Fortunato M, Migliarino S, Rispoli A Life (Basel). 2024; 14(5).

PMID: 38792638 PMC: 11123235. DOI: 10.3390/life14050617.

[Pattern of biochemical markers of mineral and bone disorders in kidney transplant recipients: real-world data].

Vatazin A, Parshina E, Kantaria R, Stepanov V, Zulkarnaev A Probl Endokrinol (Mosk). 2023; 69(2):47-57.

PMID: 37448271 PMC: 10204791. DOI: 10.14341/probl13167.

25(OH)D-but not 1,25(OH)D-Is an independent risk factor predicting graft loss in stable kidney transplant recipients.

Zeng S, Yang Y, Li S, Hocher C, Chu C, Wang Z Front Med (Lausanne). 2023; 10:1141646.

PMID: 37153084 PMC: 10156982. DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1141646.

Diabetic Kidney Disease in Post-Transplant Diabetes Mellitus: Causes, Treatment and Outcomes.

Lim L, Chang J, Kuo H Biomedicines. 2023; 11(2).

PMID: 36831005 PMC: 9953284. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020470.

References

Courbebaisse M, Thervet E, Souberbielle J, Zuber J, Eladari D, Martinez F . Effects of vitamin D supplementation on the calcium-phosphate balance in renal transplant patients. Kidney Int. 2008; 75(6):646-51. DOI: 10.1038/ki.2008.549. View

Metzger M, Houillier P, Gauci C, Haymann J, Flamant M, Thervet E . Relation between circulating levels of 25(OH) vitamin D and parathyroid hormone in chronic kidney disease: quest for a threshold. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013; 98(7):2922-8. DOI: 10.1210/jc.2013-1294. View

Rech M, Fleming J, Moore C . 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency and opportunistic viral infections after kidney transplant. Exp Clin Transplant. 2014; 12(2):95-100. View

Freedman B, Register T . Effect of race and genetics on vitamin D metabolism, bone and vascular health. Nat Rev Nephrol. 2012; 8(8):459-66. PMC: 10032380. DOI: 10.1038/nrneph.2012.112. View

McGregor R, Li G, Penny H, Lombardi G, Afzali B, Goldsmith D . Vitamin D in renal transplantation - from biological mechanisms to clinical benefits. Am J Transplant. 2014; 14(6):1259-70. PMC: 4441280. DOI: 10.1111/ajt.12738. View

Namir Y, Cohen M, Haviv Y, Slotki I, Shavit L . Vitamin D levels, vitamin D supplementation, and prognosis in patients with chronic kidney disease . Clin Nephrol. 2016; 86(10):165-74. DOI: 10.5414/CN108796. View

Amin H, Wall B, Cooke C . Osteomalacia and secondary hyperparathyroidism after kidney transplantation: Relationship to vitamin D deficiency. Am J Med Sci. 2007; 333(1):58-62. DOI: 10.1097/00000441-200701000-00009. View

Marcen R, Jimenez S, Fernandez-Rodriguez A, Galeano C, Villafruela J, Gomis A . Are low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases or malignancies in renal transplantation?. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2012; 27 Suppl 4:iv47-52. DOI: 10.1093/ndt/gfs508. View

Liu W, Zheng C, Lu C, Lin Y, Shyu J, Wu C . Vitamin D and immune function in chronic kidney disease. Clin Chim Acta. 2015; 450:135-44. DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2015.08.011. View

10.

Kaur P, Mishra S, Mithal A . Vitamin D toxicity resulting from overzealous correction of vitamin D deficiency. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2015; 83(3):327-31. DOI: 10.1111/cen.12836. View

11.

Messa P, Alfieri C, Rastaldi M . Recent insights into vitamin D and its receptor. J Nephrol. 2011; 24 Suppl 18:S30-7. DOI: 10.5301/JN.2011.7767. View

12.

Sterling K, Eftekhari P, Girndt M, Kimmel P, Raj D . The immunoregulatory function of vitamin D: implications in chronic kidney disease. Nat Rev Nephrol. 2012; 8(7):403-12. DOI: 10.1038/nrneph.2012.93. View

13.

Messa P, Cafforio C, Alfieri C . Clinical impact of hypercalcemia in kidney transplant. Int J Nephrol. 2011; 2011:906832. PMC: 3132802. DOI: 10.4061/2011/906832. View

14.

Mazzaferro S, Pasquali M, Pugliese F, Citterio F, Gargiulo A, Rotondi S . Distinct impact of vitamin D insufficiency on calcitriol levels in chronic renal failure and renal transplant patients: a role for FGF23. J Nephrol. 2012; 25(6):1108-18. DOI: 10.5301/jn.5000102. View

15.

Lee J, Dadhania D, August P, Lee J, Suthanthiran M, Muthukumar T . Circulating levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and acute cellular rejection in kidney allograft recipients. Transplantation. 2014; 98(3):292-9. PMC: 4142757. DOI: 10.1097/TP.0000000000000055. View

16.

Fraser W, Milan A . Vitamin D assays: past and present debates, difficulties, and developments. Calcif Tissue Int. 2013; 92(2):118-27. DOI: 10.1007/s00223-012-9693-3. View

17.

Lappe J, Watson P, Travers-Gustafson D, Recker R, Garland C, Gorham E . Effect of Vitamin D and Calcium Supplementation on Cancer Incidence in Older Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2017; 317(12):1234-1243. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2017.2115. View

18.

Korf H, Wenes M, Stijlemans B, Takiishi T, Robert S, Miani M . 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 curtails the inflammatory and T cell stimulatory capacity of macrophages through an IL-10-dependent mechanism. Immunobiology. 2012; 217(12):1292-300. DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2012.07.018. View

19.

Plum L, Deluca H . Vitamin D, disease and therapeutic opportunities. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2010; 9(12):941-55. DOI: 10.1038/nrd3318. View

20.

Sadlier D, Magee C . Prevalence of 25(OH) vitamin D (calcidiol) deficiency at time of renal transplantation: a prospective study. Clin Transplant. 2007; 21(6):683-8. DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2007.00696.x. View