Serum Levels of IL-12, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17 and IFN-γ in Female Students with Vitamin D Deficiency

Background: Several studies demonstrated the regulatory effects of vitamin D3 on the immune system. The aim of this study was to investigate the serum levels of IL-12, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17 and IFN-g cytokines in 11-17 year-old female students with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-(OH) D3) (VitD3) deficiency. Methods: 100 subjects with VitD3 deficiency were selected as the case group and an equal number of individuals with sufficient levels of VitD3 were selected as a control group. The serum levels of IL-10, IL-6, IL-12, IFN-g and IL-17 were measured by ELISA method. Results: The results showed that the serum concentrations of IL-12 (P= 0.005) and IFN-g (P= 0.019) were significantly lower in VitD3-deficient group compared to control group. There were no significant differences in serum levels of IL-6 (P= 0.66), IL-10 (P= 0.647) and IL-17 (P= 0.159) between cases and controls.Conclusion: These results suggest that VitD3deficiency may result in decreased inflammatory cytokines production, which are required for proper immune functions. However, the effects of VitD3 on IL-6 and IL-17A, as the pro-inflammatory and IL-10, as anti-inflammatory cytokines needs more investigations.