Vitamin D and its effects on cell adhesion molecules: A systematic review

In order to systematically review the effects of vitamin D supplementation on cell adhesion molecules (CAM), we conducted a systematic search in eletronic databases to identify placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials published through August 2022. The guiding question was: “In diseases whose complications lead to vascular dysfunction and thrombus formation, is vitamin D supplementation associated with CAM concentrations?”. Studies investigating CAM in all age groups of both sexes using any type and dose of vitamin D supplements were included. Of 617 initially obtained articles, 9 met the inclusion criteria. The articles were divided based on clinical outcomes: Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), Type II Diabetes Mellitus (DM-II), Metabolic Syndrome (MS) and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Four articles reported reduced serum CAM concentrations (two with CKD, one with MS and another with DM-II). One of these articles had a two-month interval supplementation protocol (300,000 IU), two had a weekly protocol (50,000 IU), and one had a daily supplementation protocol (2,000 IU). Vitamin D seems to modulate vascular physiology, especially in patients with vitamin D deficiency and CKD. However, the findings of this review do not allow defining appropriate dosages and supplementation models to reduce endothelial dysfunction and CAM concentration.