Pulmonary Hypertension deaths prevented by 80 ng of Vitamin D (in rats) – July 2017

Therapeutic impact of dietary vitamin D supplementation for preventing right ventricular remodeling and improving survival in pulmonary hypertension

PLOS x. Published: July 7, 2017 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180615
Hiroaki Tanaka,Masaharu Kataoka ,Sarasa Isobe,Tsunehisa Yamamoto,Kohsuke Shirakawa,Jin Endo,Toru Satoh,Yoji Hakamata,Eiji Kobayashi,Motoaki Sano,Keiichi Fukuda

VitaminDWiki
  1. Pulmonary hypertension is deadly in humans
  2. Pulmonary hypertension appears to be related to low vitamin D
  3. Added Vitamin D to some rats so as to increase levels from 20 ng to 80 ng
  4. Far fewer rats died of PH if they have high Vitamin D
  • Perhaps humans with PH getting Vitamin D will benefit as well
  • Perhaps having high Vitamin D will prevent PH

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is high blood pressure in the arteries to your lungs.


7 studies referenced this study as of Dec 2019

  • Vitamin D and Vitamin D Receptor: New Insights in the Treatment of Hypertension - Oct 2019 doi.org/10.2174/1389203720666190807130504
  • The Antioxidant Therapy: New Insights in the Treatment of Hypertension - March 2018 oi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.00258 FREE PDF

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Background
Pulmonary hypertension (PH), caused by elevated pulmonary vascular resistance, leads to right heart failure and ultimately death. Vitamin D deficiency can predispose individuals to hypertension and left ventricular dysfunction; however, it remains unknown how serum vitamin D level is related to PH and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction.

Methods
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were assessed in PH patients for an association with disease severity. To examine whether vitamin D supplementation could prevent the development of pulmonary vascular remodeling and RV dysfunction in PH, a rat model of PH was fed either normal chow or a high vitamin D diet.

Results
The majority (95.1%) of PH patients had 25(OH)D levels in the insufficiency range, which is associated with increased mean pulmonary artery pressure, increased pulmonary vascular resistance, and decreased cardiac output in PH patients. Vitamin D supplementation significantly increased serum 25(OH)D levels and improved survival in PH rats. Interestingly, while the supplemented rats retained the typical increases in medial thickness of the muscular pulmonary arteries and RV systolic pressure, RV cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and B-type natriuretic peptide expression was significantly attenuated.

Conclusions
Vitamin D deficiency is frequently seen in patients diagnosed with PH and low serum levels of 25(OH)D are associated with severity of PH and RV dysfunction. Vitamin D supplementation in PH rats improved survival via ameliorating pathological RV hypertrophy. These findings suggest an insufficient intake of vitamin D might potentially accelerate RV dysfunction, leading to a crucial clinical impact of vitamin D supplementation in PH.

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