Research progress in the pharmacological actions of the multiple effects and selectivity of the vitamin D analogue paricalcitol: a narrative review

This study aimed to assimilate relevant domestic Chinese and international literature to describe and review the progress of research on the pharmacological actions of the multiple clinical effects and selectivity of the vitamin D (VD) analogue paricalcitol in multiple organs of the body.Paricalcitol was the first VD analogue proven to be effective in the treatment of SHPT. With the discovery of vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression in different tissues and the disclosure of the corresponding physiological role, a large number of studies have shown that paricalcitol has a certain effect not only on SHPT, but also on other diseases such as kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, immune inflammatory response, and tumors.By referring to the relevant literature on vitamin D and its analogues at home and abroad from 1999 to 2020, the pharmacological characteristics of the pleiotropic and selective effects of paricalcitol were reviewed. PS software was used to map the molecular mechanism of paricalcitol in kidney, cardiovascular, bone metabolism, immune inflammation, and anti-tumor.The novel VD analogue, paricalcitol, with its high selectivity for binding to VDR in vivo, maintains the efficacy of traditional VD drugs (targeting PTH and calcium and phosphorus metabolism) while providing additional benefits (reduction of urinary protein, reduction of inflammation, reduction of vascular calcification and renal fibrosis, and so on), thus expanding the application scope of future clinical practice.