Endometrial Vitamin D Signaling and Immune Escape in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) continues to be a significant challenge in reproductive medicine, particularly in women for whom standard examinations do not reveal a conclusive underlying reason. There is growing evidence that several instances may result from nuanced alterations in the endometrial milieu, particularly with decidualization and maternal–fetal immune tolerance. In recent years, vitamin D has gained recognition for its significance in early pregnancy, serving not only as a regulator of calcium metabolism but also as an active contributor to endometrial and immunological functions. The human endometrium exhibits the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and the enzyme CYP27B1, facilitating the local activation and signaling of vitamin D inside the uterine milieu. Experimental investigations have shown that vitamin D influences many processes critical for effective implantation and placentation, including stromal cell differentiation, cytokine equilibrium, trophoblast invasion, oxidative stress responses, and immune cell communication. Aberrant vitamin D signaling has been associated with heightened inflammatory activity, impaired decidual transformation, altered uterine natural killer cell functionality, and alteration of the Treg/Th17 equilibrium, all of which have been implicated in recurrent pregnancy loss. Concurrently, there is an increasing emphasis on the association between vitamin D and mitochondrial function as well as oxidative stress in decidual and endometrial cells. Interruption of these pathways may influence implantation and early embryonic development by impacting cellular metabolism and immunological control at the maternal–fetal interface. The clinical interest in vitamin D supplementation for women experiencing repeated reproductive failure is increasing; nevertheless, the existing results are conflicting, mostly due to the predominance of research focusing on circulating vitamin D levels rather than localized tissue-specific processes. Our review encapsulates new findings about the function of vitamin D in endometrial biology and reproductive immune regulation, emphasizing its involvement in decidualization, inflammatory signaling, oxidative stress, and maternal–fetal immunological tolerance in recurrent pregnancy loss. The potential ramifications for assisted reproduction and forthcoming tailored therapy techniques are also examined.

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Publication Details

Journal
Cells
Published
2026-08-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/cells15151405
Primary Topic
Reproductive System and Pregnancy
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Endometrial Vitamin D Signaling and Immune Escape in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

Νεκταρία Ζαγοριανάκου, Ali Can Güneş, Athanasios Karpouzos, Panagiotis G. Antsaklis et al.
Cells
Reproductive System and Pregnancy
article

Endometrial Vitamin D Signaling and Immune Escape in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

Νεκταρία Ζαγοριανάκου, Ali Can Güneş, Athanasios Karpouzos, Panagiotis G. Antsaklis, Ioannis Papapanagiotou, Nikolaos Thomakos, Aristotelis-Marios Koulakmanidis, D. Loutradis, Christina Trakatelli, Charalampos Voros, Stylianos Makrydimas, Kyriakos Bananis, G. Daskalakis, Maria Anastasia Daskalaki, Charalampos Tsimpoukelis, Fotios Chatzinikolaou, Georgios Papadimas
article en

Abstract

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) continues to be a significant challenge in reproductive medicine, particularly in women for whom standard examinations do not reveal a conclusive underlying reason. There is growing evidence that several instances may result from nuanced alterations in the endometrial milieu, particularly with decidualization and maternal–fetal immune tolerance. In recent years, vitamin D has gained recognition for its significance in early pregnancy, serving not only as a regulator of calcium metabolism but also as an active contributor to endometrial and immunological functions. The human endometrium exhibits the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and the enzyme CYP27B1, facilitating the local activation and signaling of vitamin D inside the uterine milieu. Experimental investigations have shown that vitamin D influences many processes critical for effective implantation and placentation, including stromal cell differentiation, cytokine equilibrium, trophoblast invasion, oxidative stress responses, and immune cell communication. Aberrant vitamin D signaling has been associated with heightened inflammatory activity, impaired decidual transformation, altered uterine natural killer cell functionality, and alteration of the Treg/Th17 equilibrium, all of which have been implicated in recurrent pregnancy loss. Concurrently, there is an increasing emphasis on the association between vitamin D and mitochondrial function as well as oxidative stress in decidual and endometrial cells. Interruption of these pathways may influence implantation and early embryonic development by impacting cellular metabolism and immunological control at the maternal–fetal interface. The clinical interest in vitamin D supplementation for women experiencing repeated reproductive failure is increasing; nevertheless, the existing results are conflicting, mostly due to the predominance of research focusing on circulating vitamin D levels rather than localized tissue-specific processes. Our review encapsulates new findings about the function of vitamin D in endometrial biology and reproductive immune regulation, emphasizing its involvement in decidualization, inflammatory signaling, oxidative stress, and maternal–fetal immunological tolerance in recurrent pregnancy loss. The potential ramifications for assisted reproduction and forthcoming tailored therapy techniques are also examined.

CellsVol. 15(15)
University of Ioannina (GR), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (GR), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (GR), King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Alexandra Hospital (GR), Hacettepe University (TR)
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 15%
Reproductive System and Pregnancy
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