Insight into vitamin D₃ action within the ovary-Basic and clinical aspects

Vitamin D₃ is a fat-soluble secosteroid predominantly synthesized in the skin or delivered with a diet. Nevertheless, recently it is considered more as a hormone than a vitamin due to its pleiotropic function within the organism ensured by widely distributed vitamin D receptors and metabolic enzymes. Besides the main role in calcium and phosphorus homeostasis, vitamin D₃ was shown to regulate many cellular and metabolic processes in normal and cancerous tissues within the immune system, the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system and the endocrine system. The ovary is an important extraskeletal tissue of vitamin D₃ action and local metabolism, indicating its role in the regulation of ovarian functions upon physiological and pathological conditions. This chapter reviews firstly the updated information about vitamin D₃ metabolism and triggered intracellular pathways. Furthermore, the basic information about ovarian physiology and several aspects of vitamin D₃ effects within the ovary are presented. Finally, the special attention is paid into possible mechanism of vitamin D₃ action within ovarian pathologies such as premature ovarian failure, polycystic ovary syndrome, and ovarian cancer, considering its clinical application as alternative therapy.