Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Abstract
Vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency is widespread in asthma, and epidemiological studies point to an association between low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and poor asthma control and increased severity. In humans. Vitamin D is principally derived from sunlight induced cutaneous conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol to vitamin D and oral supplementation. We sought to determine if established and chronic-persistent adult asthma patients from a South-Florida pulmonary patient population, with abundant sunshine availability and oral vitamin D supplementation exhibit vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency. A trend to vitamin D insufficiency was observed in approximately 65% of both adult asthma patients and apparently healthy (non-asthmatic) volunteers. . The transcription factors required for Th9 conversion, PU.1 and IRF-4, were down-regulated by vitamin D. The generation of Th9 cells was inhibited equally by vitamin D and dexamethasone when used alone, but the effect was additive when both steroids were used in combination. Our studies using non-specifically stimulated cells were extended by analyzing the effect of vitamin D on allergen specific stimulation. The response of CD4+ T cells obtained from the blood of house dust mite positive asthmatics was studied. House dust mite allergen elicited a classical Th2 phenotype response (IL-4, IL-5, IL-9, and IL-13 cytokine profile) and vitamin D effectively inhibited those key Th2 cytokines. We conclude that vitamin D appears to be of significant clinical benefit in our cohort of patients, i.e., established chronic adult human asthma, by down-regulating key immune cells including Th9, Th17, and Th2 involved in this disorder.
Extent
xii, 155 p. : ill. (some col.)
Recommended Citation
Munim, Amjad., "Studies on the role of vitamin D in asthma patients from a South Florida pulmonary practice" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019. 876.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_6/876
Identifier
FADT3360948
Comments
by Amjad Munim.|Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.|Includes bibliography.|Mode of access: World Wide Web.|System requirements: Adobe Reader.|by Amjad Munim.