The effect of vitamin D on neurite length and neurite elongation velocity during development

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundStudies have shown that vitamin D plays an important role in the brain (1). In an animal model of nerve trauma, vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) was shown to be a potent neuromodulatory compound that increases axogenesis, axon diameter, and physiological maturation (2). In addition, the administration of high‐dose vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) has been demonstrated to enhance the number of preserved or newly formed axons at the proximal end, axon diameter at the distal end, and neurite myelination at both the distal and proximal ends in another animal model of nerve trauma (3). Vitamin D has been shown to increase neurite outgrowth when added to cultured hippocampal cells. However, when removed from the diet of pregnant rats, decreased expression of NGF (neuron growth factor (NGF) was observed in the brains of newborns and adults. Recently, vitamin D has been shown to increase the expression of microtubule‐associated protein‐2 (MAP2), axonal growth‐associated protein‐43 (GAP43), and synapsin‐1 protein in rat cortical neurons (4). Based on this knowledge, we sought to determine whether vitamin D treatment during development might affect neurite length, and elongation velocity.MethodIn our study, primary cortical neuron culture was performed using 16‐day‐old rat embryos. 10−8 M 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 was applied 24 hours after the culture. Following vitamin D administration, neurite length measurements were made at 30‐second intervals for 30 min and at half‐hour intervals for 12 h under a live cell imaging microscope at 20X magnification.ResultThe results of our study showed that 30 min after vitamin D administration, neurite length and elongation velocity significantly increased in the vitamin D group compared to the control group (p = 0.0029 and p = 0.0310, respectively). In addition, the neurite outgrowth rate and neurite length increased in the vitamin D group 12 h after vitamin D administration compared to the control group (p = 0.0275, p = 0.0398, respectively).ConclusionOnly a few research have examined at how vitamin D affects neurite outgrowth. As a result of vitamin D administration in primary cortical neurons during the developmental phase, our study’s results demonstrated that neurite length and velocity increase in the first 12 hours.