Vitamin D Supplementation Attenuates Asthma Development Following Traffic-Related Particulate Matter Exposure

Publication date: Available online 21 June 2018
Source:Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Author(s): Paige Bolcas, Eric Brandt, Zhonghua Zhang, Jocelyn Biagini Myers, Brandy Ruff, Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey
BackgroundRecent literature suggests that children who are vitamin D deficient are uniquely susceptible to the effects of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) exposure. This is highly significant because large segments of the population reside in zones of high TRAP exposure.ObjectiveTo determine whether vitamin D supplementation mitigates the impact of TRAP exposure on asthma development, asthma exacerbation, and/or airway inflammation, and to determine the timing of vitamin D supplementation that confers maximal health benefit.MethodsUsing established mouse models of asthma, we examined the impact of pre-and post-natal vitamin D supplementation on asthma development as well as the utility of vitamin D as a treatment for established asthma in the context of diesel-exhaust particle (DEP) exposure.ResultsDEP and allergen co-exposure resulted in increased airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and accumulation of pathogenic Th2/Th17 cells in the lungs of vitamin D deficient mice compared to control mice. Prenatal and postnatal vitamin D supplementation significantly attenuated the development of AHR, and decreased pulmonary accumulation of Th2/Th17 cells following co-exposure to TRAP and allergen, but not allergen alone. Restoration of normal vitamin D status had no impact on AHR once asthma was already established.ConclusionsOur data establish that vitamin D confers protection against asthma development specifically in the context of TRAP exposure. While vitamin D replacement did not reverse established asthma, restoration of normal vitamin D status in early life significantly attenuated the development of AHR in DEP-exacerbated allergic asthma and reduced lung Th2/Th17 cells, which portend the development of severe asthma.Clinical ImplicationsEarly vitamin D supplementation may be an effective preventive strategy for the development of TRAP-induced asthma.

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Teaser

The authors show that restoration of normal vitamin D status in early life attenuates the development of allergic asthma in mice exposed to traffic-related diesel exhaust particles (DEPs).


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