Full Review Vitamin D receptor activation and cardiovascular disease

Vitamin D has been recently associated with several renal, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, beyond mineral metabolism and bone health. This is due in part to wide-spread expression of vitamin D receptor (VDR) on tissues and cells such as heart, kidney, immune cells, brain and muscle. In chronic kidney disease (CKD) and other chronic disorders, vitamin D deficiency [serum 25(OH)D <20 ng/mL] is very common and is associated with adverse outcomes. Paricalcitol, a selective activator of VDR, has demonstrated in several experimental and clini-cal studies of diabetic and non-diabetic CKD a favourable profile compared to other VDR activators, alone or as add-on to standard therapy. These beneficial effects are mediated by different actions such as reduction of oxi