ArticlePloS one2013
Calcitriol imparts neuroprotection in vitro to midbrain dopaminergic neurons by upregulating GDNF expression.
Article in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 91 citations in OpenAlex.
- Vitamin D and schizophrenia: 20 years on.Molecular psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Vitamin D's Capacity to Increase Amphetamine-Induced Dopamine Release in Healthy Humans: A Clinical Translational [Biological psychiatry · 2025Trial
- Efficacy of vitamin D replacement therapy in restless legs syndrome: a randomized control trial.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2019Trial
- Effect of vitamin D treatment in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.World journal of pediatrics : WJP · 2019Trial
- Nutrients and bioactive compounds as modifiers of neurodegenerative trajectories: molecular mechanisms, translational barriers, and precision nutrition.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- The Role of Vitamin D in Parkinson's Disease: Evidence from Serum Concentrations, Supplementation, andNeuroSci · 2025Review
- Unlocking the Potential of Vitamin D: A Comprehensive Exploration of Its Role in Neurological Health and Diseases.Biology · 2025Review
- Neuroprotective Agents: Implications for Parkinson's Disease Treatment.Current Alzheimer research · 2025Review
- Vitamin D Deficiency Does Not Affect Cognition and Neurogenesis in Adult C57Bl/6 Mice.Nutrients · 2024Article
- Tremendous Fidelity of Vitamin D3 in Age-related Neurological Disorders.Molecular neurobiology · 2024Review
- Vitamin D3 improves iminodipropionitrile-induced tic-like behavior in rats through regulation of GDNF/c-Ret signaling activity.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2024Article
- VDR and deubiquitination control neuronal oxidative stress and microglial inflammation in Parkinson's disease.Cell death discovery · 2024Article
- What is known about the effects of vitamin D in neuropsychiatric lupus?Advances in rheumatology (London, England) · 2024Review
- Review
- The effect of vitamin D on morphine preference in rats: Possible biochemical and DRD2-GDNF signaling.Brain and behavior · 2023Article
- Vitamin D and neurodegenerative diseases.Heliyon · 2023Review
- Vitamin D and the Central Nervous System: Causative and Preventative Mechanisms in Brain Disorders.Nutrients · 2022Review
- Vitamin D as a Risk Factor for Multiple Sclerosis: Immunoregulatory or Neuroprotective?Frontiers in neurology · 2022Review
- The Role of Vitamin D Supplementation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2021Review
- Modified Low-Temperature Extraction Method for Isolation ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
During development a tightly controlled signaling cascade dictates the differentiation, maturation and survival of developing neurons. Understanding this signaling mechanism is important for developing therapies for neurodegenerative illnesses. In previous work we have sought to understand the complex signaling pathways responsible for the development of midbrain dopamine neurons using a proteomic approach. One protein we have identified as being expressed in developing midbrain tissue is the vitamin D receptor. Therefore we investigated the effect of the biologically active vitamin D3 metabolite, calcitriol, on primary fetal ventral mesencephalic cultures of dopamine neurons. We observed a dose responsive increase in numbers of rat primary dopamine neurons when calcitriol was added to culture media. Western blot data showed that calcitriol upregulated the expression of glial derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). Blocking GDNF signaling could prevent calcitriol's ability to increase numbers of dopamine neurons. An apoptosis assay and cell birth dating experiment revealed that calcitriol increases the number of dopamine neurons through neuroprotection and not increased differentiation. This could have implications for future neuroprotective PD therapies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.