Abstract
The presence of vitamin D receptors in diverse tissues like immune cells, beta-cells in the pancreas, and cardiac myocytes has prompted research to evaluate the impact of vitamin D deficiency on the occurrence of immune diseases, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The expression of receptors not only in normal cells, but also in cancer cells including breast, prostate, and colon cancer cells has moreover opened the path to therapeutic exploitation of vitamin D or its metabolites and hypocalcemic structural analogues as pharmaceutical tools in the fight against chronic non-communicable diseases like diabetes, CVD, and cancer.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
MeSH terms
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Angiogenesis Inhibitors / metabolism
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Angiogenesis Inhibitors / therapeutic use
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Animals
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Autoimmune Diseases / etiology
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Autoimmune Diseases / metabolism
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Autoimmune Diseases / prevention & control
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Calcitriol / metabolism
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Calcitriol / therapeutic use
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Cardiovascular Diseases / etiology
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Cardiovascular Diseases / genetics
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Cardiovascular Diseases / metabolism
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Cardiovascular Diseases / prevention & control
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Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / etiology
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Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / genetics
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Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / metabolism
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Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / prevention & control
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Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / etiology
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Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / metabolism
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Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / prevention & control
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Dietary Supplements
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Genetic Variation
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Humans
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Immune System / drug effects
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Immune System / metabolism
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Neoplasms / drug therapy
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Neoplasms / etiology
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Neoplasms / metabolism
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Neoplasms / prevention & control
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Organ Specificity
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Receptors, Calcitriol / deficiency
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Receptors, Calcitriol / genetics
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Receptors, Calcitriol / metabolism*
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Signal Transduction*
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Vitamin D / metabolism*
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Vitamin D / therapeutic use
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Vitamin D Deficiency / metabolism
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Vitamin D Deficiency / physiopathology
Substances
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Angiogenesis Inhibitors
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Receptors, Calcitriol
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Vitamin D
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Calcitriol