The Preventive Role of the Vitamin D Endocrine System in Cervical Cancer

Vitamin D-Regulated miR-589-3p in Patients with Cervical Cancer Predicts Patient Prognosis and is Involved in Tumor Progression

The study aims to evaluate the performance of Vitamin D/calcitriol-induced miR-589-3p in predicting the prognosis of cervical cancer patients and its role in cancer cell function. To identify differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) related to calcitriol treatment, the GSE61829 dataset was analyzed. MiR-589-3p expression levels were verified in cervical cancer patients. The association of miR-589-3p with overall survival was investigated using Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and the multi-variate Cox proportional hazards model analysis. The effects of miR-589-3p on cervical cancer cells and calcitriol-treated cells were examined using the MTT assay and Transwell migration/invasion assay. From GSE61829 dataset, a total of eleven DEMs were identified, including miR-589-3p. MiR-589-3p was found to be decreased in cervical cancer but increased after one-year intake of Vitamin D. Low miR-589-3p after one-year intake of Vitamin D was identified as a predictive factor for low survival probability (p = 0.0059) with a significant impact on the death risk (HR: 3.04; 95%CI: 1.47-6.29; p = 0.003). MiR-589-3p overexpression inhibited the proliferation and migration/invasion of cervical cancer cells and calcitriol-treated cervical cancer cells. In conclusion, miR-589-3p can be induced by Vitamin D/calcitriol treatment and inhibit cervical cancer progression. MiR-589-3p has the potential to predict overall survival in patients with cervical cancer.

Vitamin D3 (Calcitriol) Monotherapy Decreases Tumor Growth, Increases Survival, and Correlates with Low Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in a Murine HPV-16-Related Cancer Model

Vitamin D3 or calcitriol (VitD3) has been shown to have anticancer and anti-inflammatory activity in in vitro models and clinical studies. However, its effect on HPV-16-related cancer has been sparsely explored. In this study, we aimed to determine whether monotherapy or combination therapy with cisplatin (CP) reduces tumor growth and affects survival and systemic inflammation. Treatments were administered to C57BL/6 mice with HPV-16-related tumors (TC-1 cells) as follows: (1) placebo (100 µL vehicle, olive oil, orally administered daily); (2) VitD3 (3.75 µg/kg calcitriol orally administered daily); (3) CP (5 mg/kg intraperitoneally, every 7 days); and (4) VitD3+CP. Tumor growth was monitored for 25 days, survival for 60 days, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was evaluated on days 1 (baseline), 7, and 14. VitD3+CP showed greater success in reducing tumor volume compared to CP monotherapy (p = 0.041), while no differences were observed between CP and VitD3 monotherapy (p = 0.671). Furthermore, VitD3+CP prolonged survival compared to CP (p = 0.036) and VitD3 (p = 0.007). Additionally, at day 14 the VitD3 and VitD3+CP groups showed significantly lower NLR values than the CP group (p < 0.05, for both comparisons). Vitamin D3 could be a promising adjuvant in the treatment of cervical cancer or solid tumors and deserves further investigation.

Vitamin D and viral infections: Infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancers

Viruses can cause many human diseases. Three types of human diseases caused by viruses are discussed in this chapter: infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancers. The infectious diseases included in this chapter include three respiratory tract diseases: influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus. In addition, the mosquito-borne dengue virus diseases are discussed. Vitamin D can reduce risk, severity, and mortality of the respiratory tract diseases and possibly for dengue virus. Many autoimmune diseases are initiated by the body's reaction to a viral infection. The protective role of vitamin D in Epstein-Barr virus-related diseases such as multiple sclerosis is discussed. There are a few cancers linked to viral infections. Such cancers include cervical cancer, head and neck cancers, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and liver cancer. Vitamin D plays an important role in reducing risk of cancer incidence and mortality, although not as strongly for viral-linked cancers as for other types of cancer.

Epigallocatechin Gallate for the Treatment of Benign and Malignant Gynecological Diseases-Focus on Epigenetic Mechanisms

The most common malignant gynecologic diseases are cervical, uterine, ovarian, vaginal, and vulvar cancer. Among them, ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. A great number of women suffer from endometriosis, uterine fibroids (UFs), adenomyosis, dysmenorrhea, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which are widespread benign health problems causing troublesome and painful symptoms and significantly impairing the quality of life of affected women, and they are some of the main causes of infertility. In addition to the available surgical and pharmacological options, the effects of supporting standard treatment with naturally occurring compounds, mainly polyphenols, are being studied. Catechins are responsible for the majority of potential health benefits attributed to green tea consumption. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is considered a non-toxic, natural compound with potential anticancer properties. Antioxidant action is its most common function, but attention is also drawn to its participation in cell division inhibition, apoptosis stimulation and epigenetic regulation. In this narrative review, we describe the role of EGCG consumption in preventing the development of benign reproductive disorders such as UF, endometriosis, and PCOS, as well as malignant gynecologic conditions. We discuss possible epigenetic mechanisms that may be related to the action of EGCG.

Relationship between human papillomavirus and serum vitamin D levels: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases worldwide. The present review was conducted to accumulate evidence on the relationship between cervicovaginal human papillomavirus infection and serum vitamin D status.

METHODS

Electronic databases including Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and PubMed were searched by different combinations of keywords related to "human papillomavirus" and "vitamin D", obtained from Mesh and Emtree with AND, and OR operators without any time restriction until December 24, 2022. Selection of articles was based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used for quality assessment. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist was applied for reporting.

RESULTS

In total, 276 citations were retrieved. After removing duplicates, and non-related articles, the full texts of 7 articles were reviewed including 11168 participants. Three studies reported that there was a positive relationship between vitamin D deficiency and cervicovaginal human papillomavirus while three studies did not. One study showed a significant positive association between higher vitamin D stores and short-term high-risk human papillomavirus persistence.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings showed no firm evidence for any association between serum vitamin D level and cervicovaginal human papillomavirus infection, although the possible association could not be discarded. Further investigations are needed to reach sound evidence.

Vitamin D and Its Receptors in Cervical Cancer

Several studies have investigated the relationship between vitamin D (VD) and its receptors (VDR) and the risk of cervical cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms that underpin these associations remain incompletely comprehended. In this review, we analyzed the impacts of VD and VDR on cervical cancer and related mechanisms, and discussed the effects of VD, calcium, and other vitamins on cervical cancer. Our literature research found that VD, VDR and their related signaling pathways played indispensable roles in the occurrence and progression of cervical cancer. Epidemiological studies have established associations between VD, VDR, and cervical cancer susceptibility. Current studies have shown that the inhibitory effect of VD and VDR on cervical cancer may be attributed to a variety of molecules and pathways, such as the EAG potassium channel, HCCR-1, estrogen and its receptor, p53, pRb, TNF-α, the PI3K/Akt pathway, and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. This review also briefly discussed the association between VDR gene polymorphisms and cervical cancer, albeit a comprehensive elucidation of this relationship remains an ongoing research endeavor. Additionally, the potential ramifications of VD, calcium, and other vitamins on cervical cancer has been elucidated, yet further exploration into the precise mechanistic underpinnings of these potential effects is warranted. Therefore, we suggest that further studies should focus on explorations into the intricate interplay among diverse molecular pathways and entities, elucidation of the mechanistic underpinnings of VDR polymorphic loci changes in the context of HPV infection and VD, inquiries into the mechanisms of VD in conjunction with calcium and other vitamins, as well as investigations of the efficacy of VD supplementation or VDR agonists as part of cervical cancer treatment strategies in the clinical trials.