Pharmacological Efficacy and Mechanism of Vitamin D in the Treatment of “Kidney-Brain” Disorders

Abstract

Accumulating evidences have shown that serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were inversely correlated with the incidence or severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and that vitamin D deficiency might be associated with an increased susceptibility to many of the complications accompanied by COVID-19, such as disorders in kidney and brain. Our previous experimental studies demonstrated that vitamin D and its analogs could protect from kidney diseases, neuroinflammation, and musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoporosis and muscle atrophy, through the suppressive effects on overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in tissues. Moreover, we published a review describing the therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for organ injuries associated with COVID-19 by interfering with RAS. In the TCM principle “Kidney dredges brain,” this chapter will emphasize the potential preventive and therapeutic effects of vitamin D on both renal injuries and central nervous system disorders in COVID-19 patients and further elucidate the pharmacological effects with underlying mechanisms of vitamin D in “Kidney-Brain” disorders.