A Review on the Protective Effects of Vitamin D\(_3\) and It's Analog against Hepatocellular Carcinoma, in vivo and in vitro

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has significant gender differences in incidence and prognosis, indicating the sex-specific pathogenic process. Vitamin D3, aside from its traditional function in calcium homeostasis, has pleiotropic actions with possible anti-cancer effects. This review discusses the therapeutic potential of vitamin D3 in hepatocellular carcinoma, particularly its gender-dependent functions. Here we discuss the preclinical and clinical research on the differential effects of vitamin D3 on hepatocellular carcinoma development and subsequent progression in male and female human subjects. Evidence suggests a modulation by the vitamin D3 of sex hormone signalling, inflammatory processes, and immune responses in either gender, which in turn, affects hepatocarcinogenesis. Elucidating the sex-specific actions of vitamin D3 has the promise of opening up targeted therapeutic approaches to perturb hepatocarcinogenesis. This review underscores the therapeutic potential of vitamin D3 as a gender-sensitive drug in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, that needs to be explored for future clinical applications.