Vitamin D and the Renal and Cardio Affairs

The presence of vitamin D (1, 25 dihydroxivitamin D3, the active form of Vitamin D3) receptors in several organs and tissues, supports its pleiotropic role, beyond its function on mineral metabolism [1-3]. There is a bulk of evidence showing that vitamin D has anti-proliferative effects in cellular differentiation and is also an immuno modulator and inhibitor of the Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS) [4]. Recently, some experimental studies have documented the existence of 1, 25 dihydroxiVitamin D3 Receptors (VDR) in podocytes and have demonstrated an association between this vitamin and the number of podocytes observed [5-6]. In glomerular disease structural changes of podocytes play an important role in the progression of kidney disease, namely in type 1 and type 2 diabetic nephropathy [5].