{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T05:52:09Z","timestamp":1790833929136,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,6,3]],"date-time":"2019-06-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1559520000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004505","name":"Universit\u00e0 di Catania","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Triennial Research Plan 2016-2018)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Triennial Research Plan 2016-2018)"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004505","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Deficiency in vitamin D (Vit D) has been widely associated with several musculoskeletal diseases. However, the effects of the exogenous Vit D supplementation are still unclear in the prevention of the latter, especially in the cartilage developmental period. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of Vit D supplementation and restriction on the articular cartilage development in healthy young sedentary rats. To this aim, twelve nine-week-old healthy Sprague\u2013Dawley male rats were subjected to Vit D-based experimental diets: R, with a content in Vit D of 1400 IU\/kg; R-DS, with a Vit D supplementation (4000 IU\/kg); R-DR, with a Vit D restriction (0 IU\/kg) for 10 weeks. The morphology, thickness and expression of cartilage-associated molecules such as collagen type II\/X, lubricin and Vit D receptor (VDR), were assessed. Histological, histomorphometric and immunohistochemical evaluations were made on rat tibial cartilage samples. In the present experimental model, restriction of Vit D intake induced: The lower thickness of cartilage compared both to R (p = &lt; 0.0001) and R-DS (p = &lt; 0.0001); reduction of proteoglycans in the extracellular matrix (ECM) compared both to R (p = 0.0359) and R-DS (p = &lt; 0.0001); decreased collagen II (Col II) with respect both to R (p = 0.0076) and R-DS (p = 0.0016); increased collagen X (Col X) immunoexpression when compared both to R (p = &lt; 0.0001) and R-DS (p = &lt; 0.0001), confirming data from the literature. Instead, supplementation of Vit D intake induced: Higher cartilage thickness with respect both to R (p = 0.0071) and R-DR (p = &lt; 0.0001); increase of ECM proteoglycan deposition compared both to R (p = 0.0175) and R-DR (p = &lt; 0.0001); higher immunoexpression of lubricin with respect both to R (p = 0.001) and R-DR (p = 0.0008). These results suggest that Vit D supplementation with diet, already after 10 weeks, has a favorable impact on the articular cartilage thickness development, joint lubrication and ECM fibers deposition in a young healthy rat model.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu11061260","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,6,3]],"date-time":"2019-06-03T11:31:01Z","timestamp":1559561461000},"page":"1260","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":37,"title":["Assessment of Vitamin D Supplementation on Articular Cartilage Morphology in a Young Healthy Sedentary Rat Model"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5281-1516","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marta Anna","family":"Szychlinska","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Human Anatomy and Histology Section, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4228-4163","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rosa","family":"Imbesi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Human Anatomy and Histology Section, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5873-2456","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paola","family":"Castrogiovanni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Human Anatomy and Histology Section, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claudia","family":"Guglielmino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Human Anatomy and Histology Section, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3358-1086","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Silvia","family":"Ravalli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Human Anatomy and Histology Section, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1837-9325","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michelino","family":"Di Rosa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Human Anatomy and Histology Section, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8260-8890","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Musumeci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Human Anatomy and Histology Section, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"},{"name":"Research Center on Motor Activities (CRAM), University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,6,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"353","DOI":"10.4065\/81.3.353","article-title":"High prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy and implications for health","volume":"81","author":"Holick","year":"2006","journal-title":"Mayo Clin. 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