Background: Earlier studies have shown an association between obesity and periodontitis, which is mediated by cytokine production. The aim of this study is to assess the role of obesity as a modifying factor on periodontal clinical parameters and on circulating proinflammatory cytokine levels in subjects undergoing non‐surgical periodontal treatment.Methods: Twenty‐seven obese subjects and 25 normal‐weight subjects were enrolled in this study. Subjects in both groups had generalized chronic periodontitis. The periodontal parameters measured before and 3 months after non‐surgical periodontal therapy were: visible plaque index, bleeding gingival index, bleeding on probing, probing depth, and clinical attachment level. In addition, subjects underwent anthropometric measurements and serum analyses of fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin, interleukin‐1β, interleukin‐6, tumor necrosis factor‐α, and interferon‐γ.Results: Periodontal therapy significantly decreased visible plaque index, bleeding gingival index, bleeding on probing, probing depth of 4 to 6 mm, probing depth ≥7 mm, clinical attachment level of 4 to 6 mm, and clinical attachment level ≥7 mm in both groups (P ≤0.05). Circulating proinflammatory cytokines significantly decreased in obese and normal‐weight subjects after periodontal treatment (P ≤0.05). However, interleukin‐6 and tumor necrosis factor‐α levels remained higher in obese subjects 3 months after treatment (P ≤0.05).Conclusion: Obesity does not seem to play a negative role by interfering in the improvement of the periodontal clinical response or decreasing circulating proinflammatory cytokine levels after periodontal treatment.

The role of cell‐wall compounds in the immune response to sporotrichosis is unknown. The effect of cell‐wall compounds and exoantigen obtained from Sporothrix schenckii in macrophage/fungus interaction was analysed with respect to nitric oxide (NO) and tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α). The lipid compound of the cell wall plays an important role in the pathogenesis of this mycosis and was found to inhibit the phagocytic process and to induce high liberation of NO and TNF‐α in macrophage cultures in the present study. This is a very interesting result because it is the first report about one compound of the fungus S. schenckii that presents this activity.