Vitamin D Deficiency Induces Chronic Pain and Microglial Phenotypic Changes in Mice

Nicola Alessio, Carmela Belardo, Maria Consiglia Trotta, Salvatore Paino, Serena Boccella, Francesca Gargano, Gorizio Pieretti, Flavia Ricciardi, Ida Marabese, Livio Luongo, Umberto Galderisi, Michele D'Amico, Sabatino Maione, Francesca Guida. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Mar 30;22(7):3604.

Laboratory studyOther animals

Design

Laboratory study

Subjects

Mice on low vitamin D intake during gestation; primary microglia from postnatal day 2 to 3 pups; adult vitamin-D-deficient parents

Dose used in the study

Palmitoylethanolamide, 25D3 or 1,25D3 added to cultured microglia; concentrations not stated

Duration

Not stated in the abstract

What was measured

Microglial activation, proliferation, reactive oxygen species, DNA damage and beta-galactosidase in culture; pain measures and microglial morphology in spinal cord and brain of deficient adults.

What the authors reported

This lab study found:

• Microglia from vitamin-D-deficient mice showed a reactive, proliferative phenotype with oxidative stress and DNA damage.
• Incubation with 25D3, 1,25D3 or palmitoylethanolamide reduced most of these effects.
• Deficient adult mice had more activated spinal microglia and dystrophic brain microglia, more so in females.

Limits of this study

A mouse and cell study; it cannot show effect in people. PEA was tested only in cultured cells, at concentrations not stated in the abstract. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Source

PubMed 33808491 · doi:10.3390/ijms22073604

Entry checked against the abstract on PubMed on 2026-09-22. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.