Dietary Vitamin D Mitigates Coronavirus-Induced Lung Inflammation and Damage in Mice
Gabriel Henrique Campolina-Silva, Ana Cláudia dos Santos Pereira Andrade, Manoela Gonzaga Gontijo Do Couto, Paloma Bittencourt‐Silva, Celso Martins Queiroz‐Junior, Larisse de Souza Barbosa Lacerda, Ian de Meira Chaves, Leonardo Camilo de Oliveira, Fernanda Martins Marim, Cleida A. Oliveira, Glauber S. F. da Silva, Mauro Martins Teixeira, Vivian Vasconcelos Costa
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (β-CoV) betacoronavirus has posed a significant threat to global health. Despite the availability of vaccines, the virus continues to spread, and there is a need for alternative strategies to alleviate its impact. Vitamin D, a secosteroid hormone best known for its role in bone health, exhibits immunomodulatory effects in certain viral infections. Here, we have shown that bioactive vitamin D (calcitriol) limits in vitro replication of SARS-CoV-2 and murine coronaviruses MHV-3 and MHV-A59. Comparative studies involving wild-type mice intranasally infected with MHV-3, a model for studying β-CoV respiratory infections, confirmed the protective effect of vitamin D in vivo. Accordingly, mice fed a standard diet rapidly succumbed to MHV-3 infection, whereas those on a vitamin D-rich diet (10,000 IU of Vitamin D3/kg) displayed increased resistance to acute respiratory damage and systemic complications. Consistent with these findings, the vitamin D-supplemented group exhibited lower viral titers in their lungs and reduced levels of TNF, IL-6, IL-1β, and IFN-γ, alongside an enhanced type I interferon response. Altogether, our findings suggest vitamin D supplementation ameliorates β-CoV-triggered respiratory illness and systemic complications in mice, likely via modulation of the host’s immune response to the virus.