About this Research Topic

Background

Vitamin D (VD) deficiency (serum 25-hydroxy (OH) D3 less than 20ng/dL) has become the most common nutritional deficiency reported in 58-91% of the general and diseased population. This corticosteroid hormone regulates the expression of numerous genes in bone, kidney, intestine, and reproductive tissues, indicating a role for vitamin D in bone health, disease, and reproduction.

Insufficient VD status is an important risk factor of insulin resistance (IR), the development of PCOS, decreased ovarian response to assisted reproductive techniques (ART), and increased metabolic and hormonal abnormalities in subjects leading to disorders involving bone, kidney, and parathyroid specifically, though nearly all endocrine glands can be affected via Vitamin D receptors (VDR). Moreover, Vitamin D supplementation has improved metabolic and endocrine disorders, especially hormonal profile, oxidative stress, and ovulation outcome in PCOS patients.

The importance of 25(OH)D3 in male human reproductive physiology is demonstrated by the presence of VDR on human sperm and a significant decrease in sperm motility, acrosome reaction, amount of sex hormone-binding globulin, and testosterone/estradiol ratio in 25-(OH)D3 deficient males as compared to 25-(OH)D3 sufficient males. The VDR is expressed throughout the central and peripheral organs of reproduction. VDR is often co-localized with its metabolizing enzymes which is suggestive of the importance of tissue-specific modulation of active vitamin D levels. VDR and CYP27B1 are expressed on the endometrium, which has also been linked with mineral homeostasis in skin, pancreatic beta cells, reproductive tissues, placenta, and immune cells, including parathyroid hormone (PTH) which explains a clear link between VD deficiency and reproductive physiology.

The aim of this Research Topic is to compile recent and novel research trends in the role of Vitamin D deficiency and sufficiency in reproduction and bone and mineral diseases. Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:

• Role of Vitamin D receptors and Vitamin D binding proteins
• Interaction between Vitamin D and reproductive hormones
• Interplay between parameters of oxidative stress, vitamin D, and infertility
• Effects of Vitamin D on fertility therapeutic
• Advanced proteomic techniques

Keywords: Vitamin D, Spermatogenesis, Follicular size, Endometrial thickness, Subfertility

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