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Merck

Vitamin D receptor as an intestinal bile acid sensor.

Science (New York, N.Y.) (2002-05-23)
Makoto Makishima, Timothy T Lu, Wen Xie, G Kerr Whitfield, Hideharu Domoto, Ronald M Evans, Mark R Haussler, David J Mangelsdorf
ABSTRACT

The vitamin D receptor (VDR) mediates the effects of the calcemic hormone 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3]. We show that VDR also functions as a receptor for the secondary bile acid lithocholic acid (LCA), which is hepatotoxic and a potential enteric carcinogen. VDR is an order of magnitude more sensitive to LCA and its metabolites than are other nuclear receptors. Activation of VDR by LCA or vitamin D induced expression in vivo of CYP3A, a cytochrome P450 enzyme that detoxifies LCA in the liver and intestine. These studies offer a mechanism that may explain the proposed protective effects of vitamin D and its receptor against colon cancer.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

Supelco
Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2), Pharmaceutical Secondary Standard; Certified Reference Material
Pricing and availability is not currently available.
Sigma-Aldrich
Ergocalciferol, ≥98.0% (sum of enantiomers, HPLC)
Pricing and availability is not currently available.
Sigma-Aldrich
Ergocalciferol, 40,000,000 USP units/g
Pricing and availability is not currently available.
Ergocalciferol, European Pharmacopoeia (EP) Reference Standard
Pricing and availability is not currently available.