Vitamin D₃ (VD₃) analogues-containing ointments are known to occasionally cause hypercalcemia in psoriasis patients, and the frequency of hypercalcemia is suggested to vary based on the VD₃ analogue used. In this study, to address the differences in calcemic effects of VD₃-containing ointments, the calcemic effects of marketed VD₃-containing ointments, including calcipotriol (Cal), maxacalcitol (Max), tacalcitol (Tac), calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate (Cal/BDP) and maxacalcitol/betamethasone butyrate propionate (Max/BBP) ointments, were evaluated in a rat model of imiquimod-induced dermatitis. The topical application of Tac, Max and Max/BBP ointments, but not Cal and Cal/BDP ointments, to the imiquimod-induced skin lesions significantly induced an increase in the serum calcium level compared with the vaseline-treated group. Calcemic effect of VD₃ analogues in rats treated with VD₃-containing ointments was analyzed by evaluating the expression of vitamin D receptor target genes, such as Cyp24a1, Trpv5 and CalbindinD28k, in the intestine and kidney. Real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) analysis showed that the renal and intestinal Cyp24a1 expressions in the Cal- and Cal/BDP-treated groups were significantly lower than those in the Tac-, Max- and Max/BBP-treated groups, suggesting that systemic exposure of VD₃ analogues in the Cal- and Cal/BDP-treated groups were lower than those in the other ointment-treated groups. In addition, the renal Trpv5 and CalbindinD28k expressions, calcium-transporting genes, were increased in the Max- and Max/BBP-treated groups compared with the Cal- and Cal/BDP-treated groups. Thus, because of the low systemic exposure of VD₃ analogues, Cal and Cal/BDP ointments have lower calcemic effect than the other VD₃-containing ointments in rats with psoriasis-like dermatitis.

#	Concept	H-Index	Publications	Citations
1	Medicine	3	3	80
2	Pharmacology	2	2	43
3	Allergy	1	1	37
4	Immunology	1	1	37
5	Asthma	1	1	37

	Year	Citations

About

Top Concepts