Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer and Vitamin D: The Lost Sunlight Paradox and the Oxidative Stress Explanation

Q: What is the central paradox addressed in the study?

The study focuses on the “lost sunlight” paradox: UV radiation can both induce oxidative stress linked to skin carcinogenesis and support vitamin D production, whose biological roles may counteract oxidative effects. The exact connection between vitamin D status and skin cancer is emphasized as not well established.

Q: How was vitamin D and oxidative stress measured in participants?

The study measured 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and redox markers including TBARS, protein carbonyls, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), glutathione (GSH), and catalase activity in erythrocytes.

Q: What relationship did the study find between vitamin D levels and oxidative stress?

Higher vitamin D levels correlated with lower oxidative stress, supported by positive correlations with GSH, catalase activity, and TAC index, and negative correlations with TBARS and CARBS indices. NMSC patients showed increased oxidative damage markers compared with controls.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Riley

UV radiation (UVR) produces both beneficial and harmful outcomes for skin health, disrupting oxidant and antioxidant balance and promoting oxidative stress. Oxidative stress may contribute to photo-carcinogenesis, including melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, as well as actinic keratosis. UVR is also required for adequate vitamin D production, which has antioxidant, anticancer, and immunomodulatory functions, yet the mechanistic link between vitamin D status and skin cancer remains unclear. This study assessed 100 subjects by measuring 25-hydroxyvitamin D and redox markers, finding lower vitamin D and increased oxidative damage in NMSC patients and correlations between vitamin D status and oxidative stress indices.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

antioxidants Article Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer and Vitamin D: The “Lost Sunlight” Paradox and the Oxidative Stress Explanation Emmanouil Karampinis 1, Athina-Maria Aloizou 2, Efterpi Zaﬁriou 1, Alexandra Bargiota 3, Zoi Skaperda 4, Demetrios Kouretas 4, * and Angeliki-Viktoria Roussaki-Schulze 1 Citation: Karampinis, E.; Aloizou, A.-M.; Zaﬁriou, E.; Bargiota, A.; Skaperda, Z.; Kouretas, D.; Roussaki-Schulze, A.-V. Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer and Vitamin D: The “Lost Sunlight”Paradox and the Oxidative Stress Explanation. Antioxidants 2023, 12, 1107. [https://doi.org/10.3390/](https://doi.org/10.3390/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.3390/)antiox12051107 Academic Editor: Salvador M¡ñez Aliño Received: 31 March 2023 Revised: 12 May 2023 Accepted: 15 May 2023 Published: 17 May 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Department of Dermatology, University General Hospital Larissa, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece; [ekarampinis@uth.gr](ekarampinis@uth.gr) (E.K.) 2 Department of Neurology, St. Josef Klinikum Bochum, Ruhr Universität Bochum, 44892 Bochum, Germany 3 Department of Endocrinology, University General Hospital Larissa, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece 4 Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, Mezourlo, 41500 Larissa, Greece * Correspondence: [dkouret@uth.gr](dkouret@uth.gr) Abstract: UV radiation (UVR) is responsible for inducing both harmful and beneﬁcial effects on skin health. Speciﬁcally, it has been reported to disrupt oxidant and antioxidant levels, leading to oxidative stress conditions in skin tissue. This phenomenon might trigger photo-carcinogenesis, resulting in melanoma, NMSC (non-melanoma skin cancer), such as BCC (basal cell carcinoma) and SCC (squamous cell carcinoma), and actinic keratosis. On the other hand, UVR is essential for the production of adequate vitamin D levels, a hormone with important antioxidant, anticancer and immunomodulatory properties. The exact mechanisms implicated in this two-fold action are not well understood, as there still no clear relation established between skin cancer and vitamin D status. Oxidative stress seems to be a neglected aspect of this complex relation, despite its role in both skin cancer development and vitamin D deﬁciency. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to examine the correlation between vitamin D and oxidative stress in skin cancer patients. A total of 100 subjects (25 with SCC, 26 with BCC, 23 with actinic keratosis, and 27 controls) were assessed in terms of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH) D) and redox markers such as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), protein carbonyls, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in plasma, glutathione (GSH) levels and catalase activity in erythrocytes. The majority of our patients revealed low vitamin D levels; 37% of the subjects showed deﬁciency (<20 ng/mL) and 35% insufﬁciency (21–29 ng/mL). The mean 25(OH) D level of the NMSC patients (20.87 ng/mL) was also found to be signiﬁcantly lower (p = 0.004) than that of the non-cancer patients (28.14 ng/mL) . Furthermore, higher vitamin D levels were also correlated with lower oxidative stress (positive correlation with GSH, catalase activity TAC index and negative correlation with TBARS and CARBS indices) . NMSC patients diagnosed with SCC showed lower catalase activity values compared to non-cancer patients (p < 0.001), with the lowest values occurring in patients with a chronic cancer diagnosis (p < 0.001) and vitamin D deﬁciency (p < 0.001) . Higher GSH levels (p = 0.001) and lower TBARS levels (p = 0.016) were found in the control group compared to the NMSC

FAQs

What is the central paradox addressed in the study?

The study focuses on the “lost sunlight” paradox: UV radiation can both induce oxidative stress linked to skin carcinogenesis and support vitamin D production, whose biological roles may counteract oxidative effects. The exact connection between vitamin D status and skin cancer is emphasized as not well established.

How was vitamin D and oxidative stress measured in participants?

The study measured 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and redox markers including TBARS, protein carbonyls, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), glutathione (GSH), and catalase activity in erythrocytes.

What relationship did the study find between vitamin D levels and oxidative stress?

Higher vitamin D levels correlated with lower oxidative stress, supported by positive correlations with GSH, catalase activity, and TAC index, and negative correlations with TBARS and CARBS indices. NMSC patients showed increased oxidative damage markers compared with controls.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Riley