Oral supplementation with cholecalciferol 800 IU ameliorates albuminuria in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy

• Published in: PloS one 2012-11, Vol.7 (11), p.e50510-e50510
• Main Authors: Huang, Yan, Yu, Haoyong, Lu, Junxi, Guo, Kaifeng, Zhang, Lei, Bao, Yuqian, Chen, Haibing, Jia, Weiping
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Adult; Albuminuria - drug therapy; Albuminuria - metabolism; Analogs; Care and treatment; Cholecalciferol - administration & dosage; Cholecalciferol - therapeutic use; Correlation analysis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - drug therapy; Diabetes therapy; Diabetic Nephropathies - drug therapy; Diabetic Nephropathies - metabolism; Diabetics; Dietary supplements; Electrochemiluminescence; Endocrinology; Female; Glucose; Hemoglobin; Hospitals; Humans; Immunoassay; Kidney diseases; Laboratories; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical research; Medicine; Metabolism; Middle Aged; Nephropathy; Nutrition research; Patients; Rodents; Type 2 diabetes; Vitamin D; Vitamin D3
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050510

Low vitamin D levels can be associated with albuminuria, and vitamin D analogs are effective anti-proteinuric agents. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in vitamin D levels between those with micro- and those with macroalbuminuria, and to determine whether low dose cholecalciferol increases vitamin D levels and ameliorates albuminuria. Two studies were performed in which 25-OH vitamin D(3) (25(OH)D(3)) concentrations were determined by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay: 1) a cross-sectional study of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (n = 481) and healthy controls (n = 78); and 2) a longitudinal study of T2DM patients with albuminuria treated with conventional doses, 800 IU, of cholecalciferol for 6 months (n = 22), and a control group (n = 24). 1) Cross-sectional study: Compared to controls and T2DM patients with normoalbuminuria, serum 25(OH)D(3) concentrations were significantly lower in patients with macro-albuminuria, but not in those with micro-albuminuria. Serum 25(OH)D(3) levels were independently correlated with microalbuminuria. 2) Longitudinal study: Cholecalciferol significantly decreased microalbuminuria in the early stages of treatment, in conjunction with an increase in serum 25(OH)D(3) levels. Low vitamin D levels are common in type 2 diabetic patients with albuminuria, particularly in patients with macroalbuminuria, but not in those with microalbuminuria. Conventional doses of cholecalciferol may have antiproteinuric effects on Chinese type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy.