Role of vitamin D derivatives in intestinal tissue of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.

ABSTRACT Background and aim: The adhesion molecule expression and Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proposed to be major factors for intestinal injury mediated by T cells in inflammatory bowel diseas (IBD) and it are up-regulated in intestinal mucosa of IBD patients. To investigate the effect of vitamin D derivatives on adhesion molecules and MMPs in colonic biopsies of IBD patients. Methods: Intestinal biopsies from inflamed and non-inflamed tract, and PBMC from the same IBD patients were cultured with or without vitamin D derivatives. MMPs activity and adhesion molecule levels were determined. Results: 1,25(OH)2D3 and ZK significantly decrease ICAM-1 protein levels in the biopsies obtained only from the inflamed region of intestine of UC patients, while MAdCAM-1 protein levels decrease in the presence of 1,25(OH)2D3 in the non-inflamed region, and, in the presence of ZK, in the inflamed one. In CD patients both 1,25(OH)2D3 and ZK decrease the levels of ICAM-1 and MAdCAM-1 in the biopsies obtained from the non-inflamed and inflamed regions, with the exception of ICAM-1 in the inflamed region in the presence of 1,25(OH)2D3. The expression of MMPs (MMP-9, MMP-2, MMP-3) decreases in the presence of vitamin D derivatives in both UC and CD with the exception of 1,25(OH)2D3 that does not affect the levels of MMP-9 and MMP-2 in CD. Vitamin D derivatives affect always MMP-9, MMP-2 and ICAM-1 in PBMC of UC and CD patients. Conclusions: based on the increased expression of ICAM-1, MAdCAM-1 and MMP-2,-9,-3 in IBD, our study puts in evidence that vitamin D derivatives may be efficacious in the management of these diseases.