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Vitamin D Improves Cognitive Function and Modulates Th17/Treg Cell Balance After Hepatectomy in Mice

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Abstract

It is known that surgery-induced tissue damage activates the peripheral immune system resulting in the release of inflammatory mediators and cognitive impairment in aged mice. Vitamin D has been shown to have immunomodulatory function, but the molecular basis for it has not been well understood. In this study, we mainly investigated the efficacy and mechanism of vitamin D against postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). The treatment of C57BL mice with vitamin D significantly preserves postoperative cognitive function, markedly inhibits surgery-induced interleukin (IL)-17, IL-6, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), and retinoic acid-related orphan receptor (RORγt) production, and obviously induces IL-10 and forkhead box p3 (Foxp3) expression. These findings indicate that vitamin D amelioration of POCD is, to a large extent, due to inhibit inflammatory CD4_T cell lineage, T helper 17 (Th17) cells, accompanied with expansion in regulatory T cells (Treg cells), a subset of CD4_T cells that are important in inhibiting inflammation. Our results suggest that Th17 and Treg cell imbalance may play a role in the development of POCD. Vitamin D is useful in the control of inflammatory diseases.

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Acknowledgments

The work was supported, in part, by Liaoning Province Nature Science Foundation, China (No. 2012225021-73, to Dr. Tian), by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81100889, to Dr. Zhang), and by Liaoning Province Scientific Research Foundation for Doctors, China (No. 20111106, to Dr. Zhang).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, No. 155 Nanjing North Street, Heping, Shenyang, 110001, Liaoning, China

    Ayong Tian, Hong Ma, Xuezhao Cao, Xiaolong Wang & Binyang Wu

  2. Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, No. 155 Nanjing North Street, Heping, Shenyang, 110001, Liaoning, China

    Rongwei Zhang

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  1. Ayong Tian
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Correspondence to Hong Ma.

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Tian, A., Ma, H., Cao, X. et al. Vitamin D Improves Cognitive Function and Modulates Th17/Treg Cell Balance After Hepatectomy in Mice. Inflammation 38, 500–509 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-014-9956-4

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