Regulatory Effects of 1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 on the Cytokine Production of Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes

We studied the possible regulatory effects of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1α,25-(OH)2D3] on cytokine production and differentiation of subsets of CD4+ [T helper 1 (Th1) and Th2] and CD8+ [T cytotoxic 1 (Tc1) and Tc2] lymphocytes at the single cell level. PBMC from healthy donors were cultured with or without 1α,25-(OH)2D3 for up to 21 days. On days 0, 7, 14, and 21, the percentage of cytokine-producing T lymphocytes was analyzed by intracellular cytokine detection with mAb and flow cytometry. Simultaneous staining for cell surface markers allowed discrimination of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets. After culture with 1α,25-(OH)2D3 (10−8 mol/L), no significant effects on the proportion of interferon-γ (IFNγ)- or interleukin-4 (IL-4)-producing cells were detected, whereas reduced frequencies of IL-2-producing cells in the CD4+ as well as in the CD8+ population were found. An increase in the low percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells producing the Th2 cytokine IL-13 was noticed. Most interestingly, IL-6-producing CD4...