COMBINATION OF VITAMIN-D ANALOGS AND IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS - POTENTIAL CLINICAL USE

The active form of vitamin D, calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3), has important immunomodulating effects in vitro and in animal models o f transplantation and autoimmune diseases. There is increasing evidenc e of cooperative effects between calcitriol and other immunosuppressan ts. New synthetic vitamin D analogues show much attenuated toxicity wh en compared with calcitriol while retaining their immunosuppressive pr operties. Subtherapeutic doses of such analogues might therefore be us ed as dose-reducing agents for classical immunosuppressants.