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The Role of Nutraceuticals in Immune Function

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 13959

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Medical Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Immunology School of Medicine, Universidad de Sevilla, Av. Sanchez Pizjuan s/n, 41009 Seville, Spain
Interests: food; nutrients; immunology; innate and adaptative response; immunometabolism; signaling pathways; flow cytometry; cell culture; allergy; allergic rhinitis; chronic rhinosinusitis
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Guest Editor
Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Seville. Av. Sanchez Pizjuan s/n, 41009 Seville, Spain
Interests: biochemistry and molecular biology; immunology; fatty acids; postprandial state; chylomicron; olive oil; dendritic cells; myeloid lineage; triglyceride-rich lipoprotein; fatty liver; steatohepatitis; obesity; metabolic syndrome; leptin; inflammation; leptin resistance; Alzheimer’s disease

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nutraceuticals with therapeutic properties in immunity function are being studied as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, anticancer and metabolic modulators.

There is evidence that phytochemicals such as sulforaphane, curcumin, naringenin or polyphenols can be used complementary to anti-inflammatory drugs, leading to the reduction in the dose level of such drugs and being able to even enhance their effects. Moreover, these bioactive molecules can help to prevent the development of diabetes mellitus, obesity, cancer, neurodegeneration, gastroenterological disorders and infections in the initial stages.

In response to pro-inflammatory stimuli, professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) recognize pathogen or damage-associated molecular patterns, processing and presenting them on the surfaces of cells and modifying their phenotypic, metabolic and functional characteristics. Thus, APCs release mediators such as cytokines, chemokines and vasoactive amines, which act on the small blood vessels, promoting leukocyte migration to damaged tissues. Moreover, in this microenvironment, other endogenous factors are related to the induction of this stage of inflammation, such as advanced glycation end products, and oxidized lipoproteins can stimulate several pathways that, in turn, activate the transcription of pro-inflammatory genes.

Immunometabolism studies are emerging, with the goal of uncovering promising therapeutic potential in diseases involving inflammatory components. Immune cells are generally mediated by a shift to glycolytic metabolism, while anti-inflammatory and immune memory responses are generally supported by oxidative metabolism.

The aim of this Special Issue is to showcase new approaches associated with the therapeutic potential of nutraceuticals and immune function in treating inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. This Special Issue is open to preclinical and human studies.

Prof. Dr. Soledad Lopez-Enriquez
Prof. Dr. Gonzalo Alba Jiménez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • bioactive compounds
  • immunoprotection
  • immunometabolism
  • preclinical and human studies
  • monocytes/macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils, natural killer T cells, regulatory T cells
  • ROS and autophagy

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2174 KiB  
Article
Effect of Rotavirus Infection and 2′-Fucosyllactose Administration on Rat Intestinal Gene Expression
by Laura Sáez-Fuertes, Ignasi Azagra-Boronat, Malén Massot-Cladera, Karen Knipping, Johan Garssen, Àngels Franch, Margarida Castell, Francisco J. Pérez-Cano and María J. Rodríguez-Lagunas
Nutrients 2023, 15(8), 1996; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15081996 - 21 Apr 2023
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Abstract
Viral infections are described as modifying host gene expression; however, there is limited insight regarding rotavirus (RV) infections. This study aimed to assess the changes in intestinal gene expression after RV infection in a preclinical model, and the effect of 2-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) on [...] Read more.
Viral infections are described as modifying host gene expression; however, there is limited insight regarding rotavirus (RV) infections. This study aimed to assess the changes in intestinal gene expression after RV infection in a preclinical model, and the effect of 2-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) on this process. From days 2 to 8 of life, rats were supplemented with the dietary oligosaccharide 2′-FL or vehicle. In addition, an RV was inoculated on day 5 to nonsupplemented animals (RV group) and to 2′-FL-fed animals (RV+2′-FL group). Incidence and severity of diarrhea were established. A portion from the middle part of the small intestine was excised for gene expression analysis by microarray kit and qPCR. In nonsupplemented animals, RV-induced diarrhea upregulated host antiviral genes (e.g., Oas1a, Irf7, Ifi44, Isg15) and downregulated several genes involved in absorptive processes and intestinal maturation (e.g., Onecut2, and Ccl19). The 2′-FL-supplemented and infected animals had less diarrhea; however, their gene expression was affected in a similar way as the control-infected animals, with the exception of some immunity/maturation markers that were differentially expressed (e.g., Ccl12 and Afp). Overall, assessing the expression of these key genes may be useful in the evaluation of the efficacy of nutritional interventions or treatments for RV infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Nutraceuticals in Immune Function)
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Review

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23 pages, 1374 KiB  
Review
Nutraceuticals as Potential Therapeutic Modulators in Immunometabolism
by Gonzalo Alba, Hala Dakhaoui, Consuelo Santa-Maria, Francisca Palomares, Marta Cejudo-Guillen, Isabel Geniz, Francisco Sobrino, Sergio Montserrat-de la Paz and Soledad Lopez-Enriquez
Nutrients 2023, 15(2), 411; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15020411 - 13 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3103
Abstract
Nutraceuticals act as cellular and functional modulators, contributing to the homeostasis of physiological processes. In an inflammatory microenvironment, these functional foods can interact with the immune system by modulating or balancing the exacerbated proinflammatory response. In this process, immune cells, such as antigen-presenting [...] Read more.
Nutraceuticals act as cellular and functional modulators, contributing to the homeostasis of physiological processes. In an inflammatory microenvironment, these functional foods can interact with the immune system by modulating or balancing the exacerbated proinflammatory response. In this process, immune cells, such as antigen-presenting cells (APCs), identify danger signals and, after interacting with T lymphocytes, induce a specific effector response. Moreover, this conditions their change of state with phenotypical and functional modifications from the resting state to the activated and effector state, supposing an increase in their energy requirements that affect their intracellular metabolism, with each immune cell showing a unique metabolic signature. Thus, nutraceuticals, such as polyphenols, vitamins, fatty acids, and sulforaphane, represent an active option to use therapeutically for health or the prevention of different pathologies, including obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes. To regulate the inflammation associated with these pathologies, intervention in metabolic pathways through the modulation of metabolic energy with nutraceuticals is an attractive strategy that allows inducing important changes in cellular properties. Thus, we provide an overview of the link between metabolism, immune function, and nutraceuticals in chronic inflammatory processes associated with obesity and diabetes, paying particular attention to nutritional effects on APC and T cell immunometabolism, as well as the mechanisms required in the change in energetic pathways involved after their activation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Nutraceuticals in Immune Function)
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16 pages, 804 KiB  
Review
Update on Anti-Inflammatory Molecular Mechanisms Induced by Oleic Acid
by Consuelo Santa-María, Soledad López-Enríquez, Sergio Montserrat-de la Paz, Isabel Geniz, María Edith Reyes-Quiroz, Manuela Moreno, Francisca Palomares, Francisco Sobrino and Gonzalo Alba
Nutrients 2023, 15(1), 224; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15010224 - 01 Jan 2023
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 8926
Abstract
In 2010, the Mediterranean diet was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Olive oil is the most characteristic food of this diet due to its high nutraceutical value. The positive effects of olive oil have often been attributed to [...] Read more.
In 2010, the Mediterranean diet was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Olive oil is the most characteristic food of this diet due to its high nutraceutical value. The positive effects of olive oil have often been attributed to its minor components; however, its oleic acid (OA) content (70–80%) is responsible for its many health properties. OA is an effective biomolecule, although the mechanism by which OA mediates beneficial physiological effects is not fully understood. OA influences cell membrane fluidity, receptors, intracellular signaling pathways, and gene expression. OA may directly regulate both the synthesis and activities of antioxidant enzymes. The anti-inflammatory effect may be related to the inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines and the activation of anti-inflammatory ones. The best-characterized mechanism highlights OA as a natural activator of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1). Oleoylethanolamide (OEA), derived from OA, is an endogenous ligand of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) nuclear receptor. OEA regulates dietary fat intake and energy homeostasis and has therefore been suggested to be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of obesity. OEA has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. The beneficial effects of olive oil may be related to the actions of OEA. New evidence suggests that oleic acid may influence epigenetic mechanisms, opening a new avenue in the exploration of therapies based on these mechanisms. OA can exert beneficial anti-inflammatory effects by regulating microRNA expression. In this review, we examine the cellular reactions and intracellular processes triggered by OA in T cells, macrophages, and neutrophils in order to better understand the immune modulation exerted by OA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Nutraceuticals in Immune Function)
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