Objectives: Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency is a worldwide public health issue that has been linked to numerous inflammatory disorders, including periodontitis. There is increasing support for a role for adequate vitamin D levels in overall health. Populations with darker skin color have a higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency and periodontitis. The purpose of this small pilot study was to investigate the influence of 12 weeks of 25(OH)D vitamin D supplementation (VDS) on mediators of systemic inflammation in dark-skinned, periodontitis patients.
Materials and methods: A total of 23 patients with moderate to severe periodontitis were randomly assigned to the vitamin D group or placebo group and received intensive single visit scaling and root planning to elicit a systemic inflammatory response.
Results: Vitamin D supplementation increased serum 25(OH)D levels approximately 2-fold over baseline levels; moreover, VDS group had reduced peripheral blood CD3 and CD3+CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTLs) counts and reduced pro-inflammatory salivary cytokines. In contrast, VDS group had higher levels of the autophagy-related proteins and other proteins crucial for anti-microbial autophagy in whole blood PBMCs.
Conclusion: In conclusion, VDS has multiple benefits for reducing systemic inflammation and promoting induction of autophagy-related proteins related to anti-microbial functions.
Keywords: autophagy; immunity; periodontitis; saliva; vitamin D.
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