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Nutrients
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Diet, Microbioma and Gastrointestinal Cancers
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Diet, Microbioma and Gastrointestinal Cancers

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2023) | Viewed by 9842

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Stefano Realdon

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro Riferimento Oncologico CRO- IRCCS, Aviano, Italy
Interests: Barrett’s esophagus; esophageal adenocarcinoma; diet for cancer prevention
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite authors to submit original research articles and reviews that address any aspect of diet, microbioma and gastrointestinal cancers. In the past decade, the interactions between microorganisms and tumors have attracted much attention in the efforts to understand various features of complex microbial communities, as well as the possible mechanisms through which the microbiota are involved in cancer prevention, carcinogenesis, and anticancer therapy. A large number of studies have indicated that microbial dysbiosis contributes to cancer susceptibility via multiple pathways in different gastrointestinal tumors, including esophageal, gastric, colorectal, pancreatic and liver cancer. Further studies have suggested that the microbiota and their associated metabolites are not only closely related to carcinogenesis, by inducing inflammation and immune dysregulation, which lead to genetic instability, but also interfere with the pharmacodynamics of anticancer agents. 

Due to its importance, emerging studies have focussed on targeting microbiota, in order to ameliorate therapeutic effectiveness. It has become clear that the microbial community is closely related to the efficacy of chemotherapy, while the correlation between microbiota and immunotherapy represents a very fascinating recent field of research. Checkpoint inhibitor therapy has emerged as a novel treatment, and has been clinically accepted as a major therapeutic strategy for cancer. Gut microbiota are related to cancer and the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), and supplementation with specific bacterial species can restore, or enhance, the responses to ICIs.

Diet exhibits a strong impact on microbial composition, and could be both a risk factor for the development of cancer and a strong protective tool. Moreover, recent data suggest that diet could have a vital role in providing more effective therapeutic plans and reducing treatment complications.

Prof. Dr. Stefano Realdon
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • diet
  • microbioma
  • gastrointestinal cancer
  • immunotherapy

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 4639 KiB  
Article
Resident Esophageal Microbiota Dysbiosis Correlates with Cancer Risk in Barrett’s Esophagus Patients and Is Linked to Low Adherence to WCRF/AICR Lifestyle Recommendations
by Alice Zaramella, Diletta Arcidiacono, Daniele Nucci, Federico Fabris, Clara Benna, Salvatore Pucciarelli, Matteo Fassan, Alberto Fantin, Vallì De Re, Renato Cannizzaro and Stefano Realdon
Nutrients 2023, 15(13), 2885; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15132885 - 26 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1138
Abstract
Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is the consequence of longstanding gastroesophageal reflux, which leads to inflammation and could cause Barrett’s esophagus (BE), the main risk factor for EAC development. The 5 year survival rate of EAC is poor since the diagnosis occurs at the late [...] Read more.
Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is the consequence of longstanding gastroesophageal reflux, which leads to inflammation and could cause Barrett’s esophagus (BE), the main risk factor for EAC development. The 5 year survival rate of EAC is poor since the diagnosis occurs at the late stage of the disease. To improve patient management, a better comprehension of the mechanism undergoing the evolution through to adenocarcinoma is needed. Within this scenario, the resident microbiome investigation was studied. This study aimed to explore the esophageal microbial profile in patients affected by non-dysplastic BE, low- and high-grade dysplastic BE, and EAC to identify parameters characterizing cancer progression and to develop a score suitable for clinical practice to stratify cancer risk. The microbiota was investigated through the 16S rRNA gene sequencing of esophageal biopsies. The microbial composition was evaluated at each different taxonomic level along the disease progression. To further investigate bacteria potentially associated with cancer development, non-dysplastic and dysplastic/cancer patients were compared. The presence of the six significant microbial features with multivariate analysis was used to develop a multiparametric score (Resident Esophageal Microbial Dysbiosis Test) to predict the risk of progression toward EAC. Finally, the diagnostic ability of the test and its discrimination threshold for its ability to identify dysplastic/cancer patients were demonstrated. Since EAC has been related to obesity, the relationship between these microbial parameters and patients’ diet/lifestyle habits was also investigated. Developing microbiome-based risk prediction models for esophageal adenocarcinoma onset could open new research avenues, demonstrating that the resident microbiome may be a valid cancer risk biomarker. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Microbioma and Gastrointestinal Cancers)
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15 pages, 618 KiB  
Article
Colorectal Cancer and the Role of the Gut Microbiota—Do Medical Students Know More Than Other Young People?—Cross-Sectional Study
by Paulina Helisz, Grzegorz Dziubanek, Karolina Krupa-Kotara, Weronika Gwioździk, Mateusz Grajek and Joanna Głogowska-Ligus
Nutrients 2022, 14(19), 4185; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14194185 - 8 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1953
Abstract
(1) Background: Malignant neoplasms account for an increasing share of the disease burden of the world population and are an increasingly common cause of death. In the aspect of colorectal cancer, increasing attention is paid to the microbiota. According to current knowledge, the [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Malignant neoplasms account for an increasing share of the disease burden of the world population and are an increasingly common cause of death. In the aspect of colorectal cancer, increasing attention is paid to the microbiota. According to current knowledge, the composition of gut microbiota in patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer significantly differs from the composition of microorganisms in the intestines of healthy individuals. (2) Material and methods: The survey included 571 students from the three universities located in Silesia. The research tool was an original, anonymous questionnaire created for the study. The ratio of correct answers to the total number of points possible to obtain was evaluated according to the adopted criteria (≤25%—very low level of knowledge; >75%—high level of knowledge). (3) Results: From the questions about the gut microbiota, the subjects scored an average of six points (SD ± 1.31) out of nine possible points. Statistical analysis showed differences between the number of correct answers among students of the Medical University of Silesia and the University of Silesia (p = 0.04, p < 0.05). On the other hand, in the field of colorectal cancer, the respondents scored on average four points (SD ± 2.07) out of eight possible. Statistical analysis showed significant differences between the ratio of correct answers and the respondent’s university affiliation (p < 0.05). Both age and place of residence did not positively correlate with knowledge level (p = 0.08 NS). In contrast, chronic diseases were found to have a significant effect on the amount of information held by the students surveyed (p < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: The level of knowledge of the surveyed students of the Silesia Province is unsatisfactory. The higher awareness among the students of medical universities results from the presence of issues related to microbiota and CRC in the medical educational content. Therefore, there is a need to consider the introduction of educational activities in the field of cancer prevention, including CRC, especially among non-medical university students. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Microbioma and Gastrointestinal Cancers)
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17 pages, 6488 KiB  
Article
Overgrowth of Squamocolumnar Junction and Dysregulation of Stem Cell Lineages in the Stomach of Vitamin A-Deficient Mice
by Neethu Vins, Subi Sugathan, Asma Al Menhali and Sherif M. Karam
Nutrients 2022, 14(16), 3334; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14163334 - 15 Aug 2022
Viewed by 2129
Abstract
Junctional epithelia are common sites for pathological transformations. In mice, the stratified epithelium of the forestomach joins the simple glandular epithelium of the cardia at the limiting ridge. We previously demonstrated the expression of vitamin A receptors in the gastric stem/progenitor cells and [...] Read more.
Junctional epithelia are common sites for pathological transformations. In mice, the stratified epithelium of the forestomach joins the simple glandular epithelium of the cardia at the limiting ridge. We previously demonstrated the expression of vitamin A receptors in the gastric stem/progenitor cells and their progeny and found that excess retinoic acid enhances cellular dynamics of gastric epithelium. This study examines how deficiency of vitamin A would alter gastric epithelial stem cell lineages. Three-week-old mice of both genders were weaned and fed with a vitamin A deficient (VAD) diet for 4 or 8 months. Sex- and weight-matched littermate mice received a standard (control) diet. To label S-phase cells, all mice received a single intraperitoneal injection of 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine before being euthanized. Stomach tissues were processed for microscopic examination and protein analysis to investigate stem cell lineages using different stains, lectins, or antibodies. The Student’s t-test was used to compare quantified data showing differences between control and VAD groups. Eight-month-vitamin-A deficiency caused enlarged forestomach and overgrowth of the squamocolumnar junction with metaplastic and dysplastic cardiac glands, formation of intramucosal cysts, loss of surface mucosal integrity, increased amount of luminal surface mucus, and upregulation of trefoil factor 1 and H+,K+-ATPase. These changes were associated with decreased cell proliferation and upregulation of p63. In conclusion, vitamin A is necessary for maintaining gastric epithelial integrity and its deficiency predisposes the mouse stomach to precancerous lesions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Microbioma and Gastrointestinal Cancers)
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Review

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9 pages, 882 KiB  
Review
Correlation between Olive Oil Intake and Gut Microbiota in Colorectal Cancer Prevention
by Raffaella Memmola, Angelica Petrillo, Sara Di Lorenzo, Sara C. Altuna, Baker Shalal Habeeb, Alessio Soggiu, Luigi Bonizzi, Ornella Garrone and Michele Ghidini
Nutrients 2022, 14(18), 3749; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14183749 - 10 Sep 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3986
Abstract
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet with its excellent balance of fats and antioxidant bioactive compounds. Both the phenolic and lipid fractions of EVOO contain a variety of antioxidant and anticancer substances which might protect from the [...] Read more.
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet with its excellent balance of fats and antioxidant bioactive compounds. Both the phenolic and lipid fractions of EVOO contain a variety of antioxidant and anticancer substances which might protect from the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). The function of the intestinal microbiome is essential for the integrity of the intestinal epithelium, being protective against pathogens and maintaining immunity. Indeed, dysbiosis of the microbiota alters the physiological functions of the organ, leading to the onset of different diseases including CRC. It is known that some factors, including diet, could deeply influence and modulate the colon microenvironment. Although coming from animal models, there is increasing evidence that a diet rich in EVOO is linked to a significant reduction in the diversity of gut microbiome (GM), causing a switch from predominant bacteria to a more protective group of bacteria. The potential beneficial effect of the EVOO compounds in the carcinogenesis of CRC is only partially known and further trials are needed in order to clarify this issue. With this narrative review, we aim at discussing the available evidence on the effect of olive oil consumption on GM in the prevention of CRC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Microbioma and Gastrointestinal Cancers)
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