Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Vitamin D administration in type 1 diabetes and its impact on T lymphocyte subsets

Mamdouh Allahyani¹ , Abdulelah Aljuaid¹, Ahmad A Alghamdi¹, Abdullah F Aldairi², Mazen Almehmadi¹, Ayman S Alhazmi¹

¹Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944; ²Laboratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Al Abdeyah, PO Box 7607, Makkah 21961, Saudi Arabia.

For correspondence:- Mamdouh Allahyani Email: m.allahyani@tu.edu.sa Tel:00966-500881380

Received: 21 January 2024 Accepted: 13 April 2025 Published: 07 May 2025

Citation: Allahyani M, Aljuaid A, Alghamdi AA, Aldairi AF, Almehmadi M, Alhazmi AS. Vitamin D administration in type 1 diabetes and its impact on T lymphocyte subsets. Trop J Pharm Res 2025; 24(4):477-484 doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v24i4.4

© 2025 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c); CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD25+, and CD8+/CD25+ ratios. Methods: Thirty mice were equally assigned to three cohorts: control, untreated T1 diabetic (T1), and T1 diabetic treated with vitamin D for 4 months. Body weight, blood glucose levels, HbA1c percentages, and lipid profiles were measured in mice in each of the three groups. Additionally, total lymphocytes and CD4+, CD3+ cells, CD8+ cells, CD4+/CD25+, and CD8+/CD25+ ratios were assayed using flow cytometry in all mice. Results: Data showed significantly lower blood glucose levels, HbA1c levels, and lipid profiles (p < 0.0001); total lymphocyte counts (p < 0.05), and counts of CD3+ (p < 0.05), CD4+, and CD8+ cells (p < 0.0001) in vitamin-D-treated diabetic mice than in the untreated diabetic mice. In contrast, there were significantly higher CD4+/CD25+ and CD8+/CD25+ ratios in treated mice with diabetes (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Vitamin D may have promising immunomodulatory properties that could help mitigate the harmful effects of T1DM.

Keywords: CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, CD25+ cells, Type 1 diabetes mellitus, T lymphocyte, Vitamin D