Vitamin D3 and its Other Mechanisms for Controlling Infections

 In addition to its importance for inducing antimicrobial peptides, studies suggest that Vitamin D may help control infections through other mechanisms.   The following study suggests that Vitamin D may be important for controlling intracellular infections by down-regulating tryptophan-aspartate-containing coat protein (TACO) gene expression:

• Synergistic action of vitamin D and retinoic acid restricts invasion of macrophages by pathogenic mycobacteria