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Water-Soluble Vitamins in Development, Blood Cell Maintenance and Cancer

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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Micronutrients and Human Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2020) | Viewed by 46347

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Luisa Cimmino

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Guest Editor

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33124, USA
Interests: hematological malignancies; epigenetic regulation; TET demethylases; iron and alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases; DNA methylation; pre-clinical models of blood cancers; micronutrient regulation of the epigenome; hematopoietic stem cell maintenance

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In this Special Issue of Nutrients, we would like to bring together papers that highlight the role of water-soluble micronutrients, vitamin C and B vitamins, in the maintenance of normal blood cell production, immunity, cancer development or progression and their effect on brain development and cognitive function. In addition, we hope to address issues regarding the bioavailability of these micronutrients from our diet, their therapeutic role in the treatment of human diseases and use as biomarkers of disorders or malignancy. Vitamin C and B vitamins also play direct roles in the regulation of genomic stability and the epigenome, raising further questions of the importance of these micronutrients in normal biological processes and human health.

We welcome different types of manuscript submissions, including original research articles and up-to-date reviews (systematic reviews and meta-analyses).

Potential topics may include but are not limited to the association between water-soluble micronutrient intake and the progression or treatment of hematological malignancies or other cancers, immunity, immune system and brain development, cognitive function, the implications of vitamin C and B vitamin levels as biomarkers of human diseases and the mechanisms by which these micronutrients can influence genomic stability and the epigenome.

Dr. Luisa Cimmino
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

cognitive function
brain and blood development
immune health
cancer
hematological disorders
dietary supplementation
bioavailability
biomarkers
B vitamins
vitamin C
epigenetics
genomic stability
DNA methylation
micronutrients

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2523 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Vitamin B6, Inflammation, and Cardiovascular Outcome in a Population-Based Cohort: The Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-Stage Disease (PREVEND) Study

by Isidor Minović, Lyanne M. Kieneker, Ron T. Gansevoort, Manfred Eggersdorfer, Daan J. Touw, Albert-Jan Voerman, Margery A. Connelly, Rudolf A. de Boer, Eelko Hak, Jens Bos, Robin P. F. Dullaart, Ido P. Kema and Stephan J. L. Bakker

Nutrients 2020, 12(9), 2711; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12092711 - 04 Sep 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3260

Abstract

Background: a large number of studies have linked vitamin B6 to inflammation and cardiovascular disease in the general population. However, it remains uncertain whether vitamin B6 is associated with cardiovascular outcome independent of inflammation. Methods: we measured plasma pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP), as an indicator of vitamin B6 status, at baseline in a population-based prospective cohort of 6249 participants of the Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-stage Disease (PREVEND) study who were free of cardiovascular disease. As indicators of low-grade systemic inflammation, we measured high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and GlycA; Results: median plasma PLP was 37.2 (interquartile range, 25.1–57.0) nmol/L. During median follow-up for 8.3 (interquartile range, 7.8–8.9) years, 409 non-fatal and fatal cardiovascular events (composite outcome) occurred. In the overall cohort, log transformed plasma PLP was associated with the composite outcome, independent of adjustment for age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index (BMI), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), total cholesterol:high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol ratio, and blood pressure (adjusted hazard ratio per increment of log plasma PLP, 0.66; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.47–0.93). However, adjustment for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and GlycA increased the hazard ratio by 9% and 12% respectively, to non-significant hazard ratios of 0.72 (95% confidence interval, 0.51–1.01) and 0.74 (95% confidence interval, 0.53–1.05). The association of plasma PLP with cardiovascular risk was modified by gender (adjusted P_interaction = 0.04). When stratified according to gender, in women the prospective association with cardiovascular outcome was independent of age, smoking, alcohol consumption, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and GlycA (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.50, 95% confidence interval, 0.27–0.94), while it was not in men (adjusted hazard, 0.99, 95% confidence interval, 0.65–1.51). Conclusions: in this population-based cohort, plasma PLP was associated with cardiovascular outcome, but this association was confounded by traditional risk factors and parameters of inflammation. Notably, the association of low plasma PLP with high risk of adverse cardiovascular outcome was modified by gender, with a stronger and independent association in women. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water-Soluble Vitamins in Development, Blood Cell Maintenance and Cancer)

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Review

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35 pages, 2352 KiB

Open AccessReview

Vitamin C Deficiency in the Young Brain—Findings from Experimental Animal Models

by Pernille Tveden-Nyborg

Nutrients 2021, 13(5), 1685; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13051685 - 15 May 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4988

Abstract

Severe and long-term vitamin C deficiency can lead to fatal scurvy, which is fortunately considered rare today. However, a moderate state of vitamin C (vitC) deficiency (hypovitaminosis C)—defined as a plasma concentration below 23 μM—is estimated to affect up to 10% of the population in the Western world, albeit clinical hallmarks in addition to scurvy have not been linked to vitC deficiency. The brain maintains a high vitC content and uniquely high levels during deficiency, supporting vitC’s importance in the brain. Actions include both antioxidant and co-factor functions, rendering vitamin C deficiency likely to affect several targets in the brain, and it could be particularly significant during development where a high cellular metabolism and an immature antioxidant system might increase sensitivity. However, investigations of a non-scorbutic state of vitC deficiency and effects on the developing young brain are scarce. This narrative review provides a comprehensive overview of the complex mechanisms that regulate vitC homeostasis in vivo and in the brain in particular. Functions of vitC in the brain and the potential consequences of deficiency during brain development are highlighted, based primarily on findings from experimental animal models. Perspectives for future investigations of vitC are outlined. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water-Soluble Vitamins in Development, Blood Cell Maintenance and Cancer)

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23 pages, 1705 KiB

Open AccessReview

B Vitamins and Their Role in Immune Regulation and Cancer

by Christine Tara Peterson, Dmitry A. Rodionov, Andrei L. Osterman and Scott N. Peterson

Nutrients 2020, 12(11), 3380; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113380 - 04 Nov 2020

Cited by 134 | Viewed by 15886

Abstract

B group vitamins represent essential micronutrients for myriad metabolic and regulatory processes required for human health, serving as cofactors used by hundreds of enzymes that carry out essential functions such as energy metabolism, DNA and protein synthesis and other critical functions. B vitamins and their corresponding vitamers are universally essential for all cellular life forms, from bacteria to humans. Humans are unable to synthesize most B vitamins and are therefore dependent on their diet for these essential micronutrients. More recently, another source of B vitamins has been identified which is derived from portions of the 10¹³ bacterial cells inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract. Here we review the expanding literature examining the relationship between B vitamins and the immune system and diverse cancers. Evidence of B vitamin’s role in immune cell regulation has accumulated in recent years and may help to clarify the disparate findings of numerous studies attempting to link B vitamins to cancer development. Much work remains to be carried out to fully clarify these relationships as the complexity of B vitamins’ essential functions complicates an unequivocal assessment of their beneficial or detrimental effects in inflammation and cancers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water-Soluble Vitamins in Development, Blood Cell Maintenance and Cancer)

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24 pages, 3135 KiB

Open AccessReview

B Vitamins and One-Carbon Metabolism: Implications in Human Health and Disease

by Peter Lyon, Victoria Strippoli, Byron Fang and Luisa Cimmino

Nutrients 2020, 12(9), 2867; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12092867 - 19 Sep 2020

Cited by 131 | Viewed by 21395

Abstract

Vitamins B9 (folate) and B12 are essential water-soluble vitamins that play a crucial role in the maintenance of one-carbon metabolism: a set of interconnected biochemical pathways driven by folate and methionine to generate methyl groups for use in DNA synthesis, amino acid homeostasis, antioxidant generation, and epigenetic regulation. Dietary deficiencies in B9 and B12, or genetic polymorphisms that influence the activity of enzymes involved in the folate or methionine cycles, are known to cause developmental defects, impair cognitive function, or block normal blood production. Nutritional deficiencies have historically been treated with dietary supplementation or high-dose parenteral administration that can reverse symptoms in the majority of cases. Elevated levels of these vitamins have more recently been shown to correlate with immune dysfunction, cancer, and increased mortality. Therapies that specifically target one-carbon metabolism are therefore currently being explored for the treatment of immune disorders and cancer. In this review, we will highlight recent studies aimed at elucidating the role of folate, B12, and methionine in one-carbon metabolism during normal cellular processes and in the context of disease progression. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water-Soluble Vitamins in Development, Blood Cell Maintenance and Cancer)

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