MacDonald, JustinBeck, PaulTulk, Sarah2012-07-302015-07-312012-07-302012Tulk, S. (2012). Vitamin D induces the release of IL-1b via activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28659http://hdl.handle.net/11023/142The Crohn’s disease pathogenesis has been proposed to involve a hypoactive innate immune response and impaired acute inflammatory response. Recently, vitamin D3 has been shown to induce expression of the innate immune receptor, NOD2. Herein, PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells were treated with the active form of vitamin D3, 1,25(OH)2D3, and assessed for release of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β. We present novel findings that 1,25(OH)2D3 induces the release of IL-1β from PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells. Further, circulating vitamin D3, 25(OH)D3, was also able to induce the IL-1β response. Both 1,25(OH)2D3-induced and 25(OH)D3-induced IL-1β release were found to be dependent on the NLRP3 inflammasome. These novel findings support a beneficial role for vitamin D3 in Crohn’s disease; by boosting basal IL-1β secretion from macrophages, vitamin D3 could help counteract the impaired innate immune and acute inflammatory responses seen in this disease.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.ImmunologyGastrointestinalmacrophageInflammasomeinterleukin 1 betaVitamin Dmaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/28659