Supplementing Immunity: Investigating the Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Human Cancer T-cell Proliferation and IL-2 Secretion

Abstract

In the realm of immune-related research on natural products to protect against growing public health concerns, the influence of market-available vitamin D supplements, with lipid additives, on cellular behavior, remains a mystery. This project looks at the relationship between supplemental vitamin D serum with lipid ingredients, and cell death of human cancerous T cells (type of white blood cell). This study aims to unveil potential modulatory influences of this vitamin D, with lipid additive, on cellular responses, contributing crucial insights to the broader understanding of supplements’ public health implications. The effect of varying concentrations of vitamin D (independent variable) is measured on the stimulated cells by measuring the resulting optical density values (dependent variable), which represents the viability of the cells. Cancerous T cells stimulated with certain compounds (PMA and Ionomycin) secrete a protein, IL-2, representing T cell growth. To further assess cell viability, this protein’s secretion is measured in wells with given optical densities, and interpolation with a standard curve. It is hypothesized that the presence of varying vitamin D, and therefore lipid additive, concentrations would significantly affect the T cells’ viability. Specifically, a potential linear relationship, with higher concentrations resulting in higher cell viability and more IL-2 secretion. Post-experimentation, ANOVA analysis for concentration-specific analysis of cell viability returned a significant p = 0.000000018, concluding that the concentrations of vitamin D used as experimental conditions significantly influenced cellular response. Cell viability analyzed in correlation with IL-2 secretion, a concentration dependent inhibitory effect on PMA+IO induced IL-2 secretion is found.