NSTK · 01.2026Independent supplement reference
NutriStack
Edition 1.0Updated August 1, 2026

Supplement × Supplement·Evidence index

LL-37 and Vitamin D3: what the published research says

PubMed indexes 8 records that name LL-37 and Vitamin D3 together, either in the title or in an interaction, co-administration, or pharmacokinetic context. Each one is listed below with its study design and, where the abstract states one, the authors’ own conclusion, quoted and linked. This page reports that literature. It does not tell you whether to combine them.

Read this first

An evidence index, not guidance.

Every statement below is attributed to a named, dated, linked source.

This page lists published research relevant to LL-37 and Vitamin D3. It deliberately does not state whether the combination is safe, whether it interacts, in which direction, at what dose, or how far apart to take them.

The research

8 studies naming LL-37 and Vitamin D3.

Strongest relevance first: papers naming both substances in the title, then human trials and systematic reviews.

Oral intake of phenylbutyrate with or without vitamin D3 upregulates the cathelicidin LL-37 in human macrophages: a dose finding study for treatment of tuberculosis.

BMC pulmonary medicine · 2013 · PMID 23590701

Clinical TrialComparative Study

“The results demonstrate that 500 mg b.d. PB with 5000 IU o.d. vitamin D3 is the optimal dose for the induction of LL-37 in macrophages and lymphocytes and intracellular killing of Mtb by macrophages. Hence, this dose has potential application in the treatment of TB and is now being used in a clinical trial of adults with active pulmonary TB (NCT01580007).”

Mily et al. · Authors' conclusion

Names both LL-37 and Vitamin D3 in its title.

Association of vitamin D3, VDR gene polymorphisms, and LL-37 with a clinical form of Chagas Disease.

Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical · 2019 · PMID 31508781

Human subjects

“Decreased levels of vitamin D suggest an association with the cardiac form of CD. Studies investigating the roles of vitamin D and LL-37 in the immune response and their associations with VDR polymorphisms and disease susceptibility are necessary.”

Oliveira Junior et al. · Authors' conclusion

Names both LL-37 and Vitamin D3 in its title.

Vitamin D3 modulates the innate immune response through regulation of the hCAP-18/LL-37 gene expression and cytokine production.

Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2016 · PMID 26433491

ReviewHuman subjects

“In the present review, we discuss 1,25D3-induced down-regulation of cytokine/chemokine production and stimulation of hCAP-18/LL-37 gene expression which represent two very important pathways for 1,25D3-evoked regulation of the innate immune response.”

Svensson et al. · Authors' conclusion

Names both LL-37 and Vitamin D3 in its title.

Vitamin D3 analog maxacalcitol (OCT) induces hCAP-18/LL-37 production in human oral epithelial cells.

Biomedical research (Tokyo, Japan) · 2016 · PMID 27356607

Human subjects

“The periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis was killed by treatment with the LL-37 peptide. These findings suggest that OCT induces the production of hCAP-18/LL-37 in a manner similar to that induced by the active metabolite of vitamin D3.”

Tada et al. · From the abstract

Names both LL-37 and Vitamin D3 in its title.

Tumor-produced versican V1 enhances hCAP18/LL-37 expression in macrophages through activation of TLR2 and vitamin D3 signaling to promote ovarian cancer progression in vitro.

PloS one · 2013 · PMID 23424670

Human subjects

“Versican V1 knockdown also inhibited TLR2 and vitamin D3 signaling, as well as growth and invasiveness of these tumor cells in the in vitro co-culture. In summary, we have found that versican V1 enhances hCAP18/LL-37 expression in macrophages through activation of TLR2 and subsequent vitamin D-dependent mechanisms which promote ovarian tumor progression in vitro.”

Li et al. · From the abstract

Names both LL-37 and Vitamin D3 in its title.

Decreased serum LL-37 and vitamin D3 levels in atopic dermatitis: relationship between IL-31 and oncostatin M.

Allergy · 2012 · PMID 22486751

Human subjects

“Systemic vitamin D3 levels are reduced in patients with AD, which may contribute to decreased systemic LL-37 levels. LL-37 may systemically potentiate the oncostatin M and IL-31 production in normal donors and patients with AD, while vitamin D3 may do so only in normal donors.”

Kanda et al. · Authors' conclusion

Names both LL-37 and Vitamin D3 in its title.

Vitamin D3 induces pro-LL-37 expression in myeloid precursors from patients with severe congenital neutropenia.

Journal of leukocyte biology · 2008 · PMID 18703682

Human subjects

“The hormonal form of vitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] induced the expression of pro-LL-37 in isolated neutrophil progenitors and in EBV-transformed B cells from patients with SCN, whereas all-trans retinoic acid only induced expression in transformed B cells. These results demonstrate that myeloid cells of patients with SCN can produce pro-LL-37, suggesting that other pathways are impaired.”

Karlsson et al. · From the abstract

Names both LL-37 and Vitamin D3 in its title.

Effect of Cholecalciferol Supplementation on Vitamin D Status and Cathelicidin Levels in Sepsis: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Critical care medicine · 2015 · PMID 26086941

Randomized Controlled TrialResearch Support, N.I.H., Extramural

“High-dose cholecalciferol supplementation rapidly and safely improves 25-hydroxyvitamin D and bioavailable 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. Changes in bioavailable 25-hydroxyvitamin D are associated with concomitant increases in circulating LL-37 levels. Larger trials are needed to verify these findings and to assess whether optimizing vitamin D status improves sepsis-related clinical outcomes.”

Quraishi et al. · Authors' conclusion

Names LL-37 and Vitamin D3 together in an interaction, co-administration, or pharmacokinetic context.

Limitations

What this evidence cannot tell you.

Search-based evidence indexes have real limits, and it is worth being explicit about them:

NutriStack

Track what you actually take.

NutriStack is a free iPhone app for organising a supplement routine: what you take, when, and what the published record says about it. Its exploratory interaction checker covers LL-37, Vitamin D3, and several hundred other substances.

The checker is a research and organisation tool, not a clinical decision aid, and its per-pair assessments are excluded from search until they pass claim-level review.

NutriStack is an informational and organizational tool, not a medical service, and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting, stopping, or changing any supplement or medication.