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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Nutritional Immunology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1528707

Supplementation with active vitamin D3 ameliorates experimental autoimmune thyroiditis in mice by modulating the differentiation and functionality of intrathyroidal T-cell subsets

Provisionally accepted
Chun-Mei Wang Chun-Mei Wang 1Ying-Jie Chen Ying-Jie Chen 1Bo-Cheng Yang Bo-Cheng Yang 1Jia-Wen Yang Jia-Wen Yang 1Wei Wang Wei Wang 2Yang Zeng Yang Zeng 3Jun Jiang Jun Jiang 1*
  • 1 The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
  • 2 Mianyang Third People's Hospital, Mianyang, China
  • 3 The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Jiangyang District of Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: People with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) often have low vitamin D3 concentrations. Some research has suggested that vitamin D3 supplementation reduces thyroid inflammation, but this remains controversial. Methods: EAT was induced in female NOD/ShiLtJ mice by giving them water containing 0.05% sodium iodide, and 1μg/kg of 1α,25-(OH)₂D₃ was injected intraperitoneally every other day. After 8 weeks, the morphological architecture of the mouse thyroid follicles was examined by histological sections, thyroid autoantibodies and thyroid hormone concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), and the major functions and subsets of B-and T-lymphocytes in the mouse thyroid were determined by tissue multiple immunofluorescence technology and ELISA. Results: EAT caused thyroiditis follicle destruction and interfollicular lymphocyte infiltration in mice, increased concentrations of circulating thyroid autoimmune antibodies TG-Ab and TPO-Ab, and abnormal thyroid hormone levels. EAT also increased the number and functionality of CD4+ Tfh , Th17,Th1 and Th2 cells in the thyroid, while decreasing the number and functionality of CD4+ Treg cells and CD19⁺B10 cells. Treatment with VD3 reversed these changes. Conclusion: Vitamin D3 supplementation can effectively treat autoimmune thyroiditis in mice. VD3 reduces autoimmune thyroid damage and decreases serum thyroid antibody levels in mice by inhibiting the differentiation and functionality of proinflammatory Tfh, Th17, Th1 and Th2 cells and by facilitating the differentiation and functionality of anti-inflammatory B10 cells and Treg.

    Keywords: experimental autoimmune thyroiditis, Vitamin D, Lymphocytes, differentiation, T-cell

    Received: 15 Nov 2024; Accepted: 15 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Chen, Yang, Yang, Wang, Zeng and Jiang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jun Jiang, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China

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