The beneficial influences of vitamin D intake on inflammation and oxidative stress in infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Oxidative stress and inflammation play a vital function in the pathophysiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and infertility. The aim of this work was to control the impacts of vitamin D intake on metabolic profiles in infertile subjects with PCOS. This randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out among 40 infertile women with PCOS. Subjects were randomly divided into two intervention groups to take either 50,000 IU vitamin D (n=20) or placebo (n=20) weekly for eight weeks. Metabolic profiles and few inflammatory cytokines expression evaluated on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of participants, using RT-PCR method. Vitamin D intake decreased high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (−0.9±1.1 vs. 0.3±0.9 mg/L, P=0.002) and elevated total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels (49.2±60.2 vs. −50.6±161.8 mmol/L, P=0.02) compared with placebo; but no significant effects on other metabolic parameters were observed. Moreover, a significant downregulation of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) expression (P=0.03) was observed after taking vitamin D compared with the placebo. Overall, vitamin D intake for eight weeks had beneficial impacts on hs-CRP, TAC, and TNF-α among infertile women with PCOS.