Meghil MM, et al. - In this small pilot study, researchers examined 23 candidates to estimate the impact of 12 weeks of 25(OH)D vitamin D supplementation (VDS) on mediators of systemic inflammation in dark-skinned subjects with periodontitis. They observed an incline of 2-folds in serum 25(OH)D levels over baseline following VDS. They also found reduced peripheral blood CD3 and CD3+CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTLs) counts and reduced pro-inflammatory salivary cytokines in VDS group when compared to the Placebo group. They also noted higher levels of the autophagy-related proteins and other proteins essential for anti-microbial autophagy in whole blood PBMCs in the VDS group.