ATUAÇÃO DA VITAMINA D E SEU RECEPTOR SOBRE PROCESSOS IMUNOLÓGICOS E PERFIS IMUNOGENÉTICOS RELACIONADOS À HANSENÍASE

Vitamin D is acquired mainly through epidermal synthesis under sun exposure, but can also be acquired through diet or supplementation. In order to be absorbed by the body and used in its biological processes, it must be converted to 1,25 (OH) 2D3 (vitamin D3). Both the vitamin D3 and the vitamin D receptor (VDR) act directly on typical immune processes and pathological conditions, ranging from infectious diseases such as tuberculosis to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Its role in the immune system encompasses both innate and acquired immune responses. Polymorphisms of the VDR gene, which encodes the receptor, have been associated with the occurrence of certain pathologies. Vitamin D3 and VDR mRNA expression levels are related to the occurrence of diseases such as leprosy, acting on the susceptibility to leprosy per se and to the clinical forms developed, which alter the Th1 and Th2 cell response profiles. Genetic variations between populations represent an important question about these traits.