Metabolomics Study on Vitamin D Effect in Immune Cells Metabolism Against Influenza Virus Publisher



Karimi Z ; Mokhtari Azad T ; Arefi Oskouie A ; Marashi SM ; Ajaminejad F ; Rezaei F
Source: Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry Published:2025

Abstract

Vitamin D has a regulatory effect on the immune system during respiratory infection, but the molecular mechanism of this action remains incompletely defined. In this study, we investigated the effect of vitamin D on PBMC metabolism under influenza virus-infected conditions using the LC–MS method. Untargeted LC–MS metabolomics and multivariate statistical analyses (PCA, OPLS–DA) were used for metabolic profiling. Influenza infection induced disorders in sphingolipid, androgen/estrogen, and amino acid metabolism, but vitamin D regulated immune cell metabolism by inducing changes in key metabolic pathways such as inositol phosphate signaling, glutathione biosynthesis, and the biosynthesis of resolvin E1 and sphingosine. By affecting these pathways, vitamin D enhanced cellular antioxidant capacity and immune tolerance. The most significant changes in metabolite levels were observed 12 h after infection in all sample groups. Overall, vitamin D optimized PBMC metabolism by regulating energy and inflammatory pathways during influenza virus infection. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Association of Clinical Biochemists of India 2025.