Issue 12, 2012

Protective actions of vitamin D in UVB induced skin cancer

Abstract

Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) are the most common type of cancer, occurring at a rate of over 1 million per year in the United States. Although their metastatic potential is generally low, they can and do metastasize, especially in the immune compromised host, and their surgical treatment is often quite disfiguring. Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) as occurs with sunlight exposure is generally regarded as causal for these malignancies, but UVR is also required for vitamin D synthesis in the skin. Based on our own data and that reported in the literature, we hypothesize that the vitamin D produced in the skin serves to suppress UVR epidermal tumor formation. In this review we will first discuss the evidence supporting the conclusion that the vitamin D receptor (VDR), with or without its ligand 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, limits the propensity for cancer formation following UVR. We will then explore three potential mechanisms for this protection: inhibition of proliferation and stimulation of differentiation, immune regulation, and stimulation of DNA damage repair (DDR).

Graphical abstract: Protective actions of vitamin D in UVB induced skin cancer

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
11 Jul 2012
Accepted
27 Aug 2012
First published
29 Aug 2012

Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2012,11, 1808-1816

Protective actions of vitamin D in UVB induced skin cancer

D. D. Bikle, Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2012, 11, 1808 DOI: 10.1039/C2PP25251A

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