The Effect of l-αHydroxyvitamin D3 oil Cell-Mediated Immunity in Hemodialyzed Patients

The immunoregulatory effect of la-hydroxyvitamin D3 (lαOHD3), a precursor form of active vitamin t)3, was examined in hemodialyzd patients. Four weeks of oral administration of 0.5 μg/day lαOHD3 markedly enhanced the lymphoproliferative responses to mitogens without influencing lymphocyte counts or the ratios of lymphocyte subpopulations. In fact, these responses were nearly normal after treatment. These results suggest that deficiency of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 may play a role in the impairment of cellular immunity in hemodialyzed patients, and that administration of 1αOHD3 may have therapeutic immunological benefit.