Effect of vitamin D on antimicrobial peptides levels in patients with periodontitis

Abstract

Periodontitis is a complex infectious disease that affects a wide range of people and has a lot of risk factors. Vitamin D increases innate immunity by regulating the generation of antimicrobial peptides and cytokine response, which may minimize the risk of infection through a variety of methods. Antimicrobial peptides defend the host from a variety of pathogens. This study was conducted to determine the vitamin D levels in patients and investigate how vitamin D affects the levels of antimicrobial peptides. The University of Baghdad's Department of Periodontics, College of Dentistry, and clinic recruited fifty new patients. For each patient, periodontal parameters were assessed. In order to estimate the level of vitamin D and antimicrobial peptides (cathelicidins and human beta defensins-1), blood samples from all patients were taken. The finding revealed that serum vitamin D deficiency is associated with decreased levels of cathelicidins and human beta defensins-1 in serum of patients with periodontitis. Low levels of cathelicidins and human beta defensins-1 in periodontitis patients with insufficient vitamin D, implying that vitamin D plays a role in AMPs production.