Medical Researches
Moderately Effective
Based on 12 Researches
We explored the potential of calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, in treating glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive brain tumors. Our research aimed to see if vitamin D could target the stem-like cells that contribute to tumor growth and resistance to treatment.
Through a combination of lab tests, including real-time PCR and organ transplant cultures, we found that calcitriol can effectively reduce the stem-like properties of glioblastoma stem cells. Interestingly, it also worked well alongside Temozolomide, a common chemotherapy drug, helping to improve its effectiveness. In some cases, the combination completely eliminated the tumor cells we analyzed.
These promising results suggest that calcitriol could serve as an important part of treatment for certain patients with glioblastoma. However, further studies will be essential to fully understand its potential and optimize its use in clinical settings.
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Vitamin D3 may reduce brain edemaPreoperative Serum Level of Vitamin D is a Possible Protective Factor for Peritumoral Brain Edema of Meningioma: A Cross Sectional Study.
High relevance to vitamin D3 effects
We investigated whether preoperative serum levels of vitamin D3 could influence peritumoral brain edema in patients diagnosed with meningioma. This study included 112 patients who underwent assessments of serum 25(OH)D levels and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate brain edema.
Our findings revealed a significant correlation between lower vitamin D3 levels and higher edema index (EI) percentages. Patients with EI below 100% had a median serum vitamin D3 level of 65.58 ng/mL, whereas those with EI above 100% had a much lower median of 37.33 ng/mL.
We found that for every increase of 1 ng/mL in serum vitamin D3, the extent of brain edema decreased by approximately 4%. This suggests that maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D3 may serve as a protective factor against peritumoral brain edema in patients with meningioma.
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We investigated how synthetic analogs of vitamin D, specifically tacalcitol and calcipotriol, impact the growth and movement of T98G human glioblastoma cells. This type of brain cancer is particularly aggressive and challenging to treat, making it vital to explore new therapeutic options.
Our findings revealed that both vitamin D analogs significantly decreased cell viability and reduced the rate at which these cancer cells proliferated. This was evident in our tests, where even low concentrations of the analogs, ranging from 1 nM to 10 μM, showed a notable suppression of cell growth.
We also conducted a wound-healing assay to assess the migration of T98G cells. Both tacalcitol and calcipotriol were effective in slowing down the movement of these cells compared to a control group. Interestingly, even though we saw these promising effects, the analogs did not appear to trigger apoptosis, as measured by caspase-3 and -7 activities.
Overall, our research supports the potential of vitamin D analogs as a promising avenue for the treatment of glioblastoma by significantly inhibiting both the growth and migration of cancer cells.
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We explored the potential of calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, as a treatment for glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Our research involved testing over 40 different glioblastoma cell cultures to determine how these cells respond to vitamin D3.
Interestingly, we found that about half of the cell lines were sensitive to calcitriol's effects, with a quarter showing particularly strong responses. These high responders appeared to exhibit changes in their protein makeup that suggested a reduction in traits associated with stemness and migration, which are commonly linked to tumor aggressiveness.
Additionally, we identified that certain genetic variations of the vitamin D receptor could help predict which cells would respond positively to treatment. Overall, the findings hint that vitamin D3 could play a role as a viable therapeutic option for some glioblastoma patients, though further research is necessary to confirm these benefits comprehensively.
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Vitamin D3 may aid survivalOptimal vitamin D status at admission appears to improve survival after craniotomy in patients with brain malignancies.
Significant vitamin D3 relevance observed
We explored the impact of vitamin D3 treatment on patients with brain tumors who underwent craniotomy—a surgical procedure commonly used to treat malignancies in the brain. Our study included 56 patients divided into three groups: one that received a substantial dose of vitamin D3, another that did not receive any vitamin D3 treatment, and a third group that had optimal vitamin D levels at the time of admission.
We observed that the group with optimal vitamin D status had significantly higher preoperative levels of vitamin D compared to the other groups. Moreover, their survival rates were noticeably better, suggesting there may be a connection between sufficient vitamin D levels and improved outcomes after surgery. Interestingly, despite the positive results in the initial analysis, we noted that this association weakened when factoring in other variables in more detailed models.
Additionally, factors like age and total calcium levels were also identified as important in predicting mortality rates in this group. Overall, while the findings point toward the potential benefits of maintaining optimal vitamin D levels for brain tumor patients undergoing surgery, further research is necessary to fully understand the implications of vitamin D on survival outcomes.
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