Investigation of serum level relationship of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines with vitamin D among healthy Ghanaian population

Background The interplay between vitamin D status and inflammatory cytokines in a supposedly sufficient sunshine environment has not well been evaluated. The study sought to determine their association. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 500 healthy adult blood donors from some selected hospitals in Ghana enrolled from June to November 2016. Venous blood samples were obtained from participants, 25(OH)D, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and IL 10 were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Serum levels of 25(OH)D < 20ng/ml were classified as being deficient or low. Results The average age of the participants was 27.97 years. No statistically significant association was established between 25(OH) D status, mean age ( p = 0.1693), and gender ( p = 0.5461) of study participants. Similarly, the median 25(OH) D ( p = 0.8392), IL-10 ( p = 0.5355), TNF-alpha ( p = 0.9740), and IFN-gamma ( p = 0.6908) were not significantly different across gender. There was a significantly increased levels of TNF-alpha ( p < 0.0001) and IFN-gamma ( p < 0.0001) among participants with 25(OH) D deficiency compared to those without deficiency. Concurrently, participants with 25(OH)D deficiency had a significantly reduced levels of IL-10 ( p < 0.0001) compared to those without 25 (OH) D deficiency. The most accurate biochemical markers for identifying 25 (OH) D deficiency were IFN-gamma (AUC = 0.879; p < 0.0001) followed by TNF-gamma (AUC = 0.849; p < 0.0001) and IL-10 (AUC = 0.707; p < 0.0001). Conclusion There was a significant association between vitamin D levels and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma) and anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL 10) among healthy Ghanaian populace.