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EditorialAntioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Microbial-ModulatingActivities of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods

Ilaria Peluso,1 Thea Magrone,2 Débora Villaño Valencia,3 C.-Y. Oliver Chen,4 andMaura Palmery5

1Research Centre for Food and Nutrition, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA-AN), Rome, Italy2Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sensory Organs, University of Bari, Bari, Italy3Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM), Murcia, Spain4Antioxidants Research Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA5Department of Physiology and Pharmacology “V. Erspamer”, La Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

Correspondence should be addressed to Ilaria Peluso; [email protected]

Received 11 May 2017; Accepted 11 May 2017; Published 10 September 2017

Copyright © 2017 Ilaria Peluso et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Oxidative stress is defined as the imbalance between reactiveoxygen species (ROS) formation and enzymatic and nonen-zymatic antioxidant defence favouring the former. Thus,enhanced oxidative stress occurs when ROS formation isincreased by an array of exogenous and endogenous factors,for example, smoking, exposure to pollution, unhealthydiet, and chronic/low-grade inflammation, when the antiox-idant defence capacity is compromised or both. Enhancedoxidative stress has been appreciated for its contributionto the pathogenesis of noncommunicable diseases (e.g.,cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, cancer, andbrain disorders). Thus, to protect and prevent ROS-relatedpathogenesis, enhancing antioxidant defence through dietsappears to be a viable strategy. From that, the antioxidantactivity and the phytochemicals’ content of foods and tradi-tional medicine plants are an interesting topic of research.Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities, related to thecontent of phenolics, have been reported by M. N. Ombraet al. for twelve common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) cultivarsand by D. Zaluski et al. for the Eleutherococcus senticosusfruits intractum. I. Urquiaga et al. reported the antioxidantactivity of berries’ concentrate in humans after meal and dis-cussed this result in terms of oxidative reactions that occurduring digestion and the thermal processing of red meat.

In addition to acting as a ROS scavenger, polyphenolsinteract with many molecular targets after consumption. F.

Giamogante et al. described the interaction between polyphe-nolic compounds and PDIA3, a molecule associated to differ-ent human pathologies. In particular, different flavonoids invirtue of their chemical backbone structure conformationcan bind to PDIA3, thus preventing its interaction withDNA. ROS-induced DNA modifications can cause single-strand and double-strand breaks, leading to genotoxic effects.Thus, means that protect DNA from ROS and maintainDNA integrity have a chemopreventive potential. Agaricusblazei mushroom has been used in traditional medicine inthe form of a medicinal extract for the prevention and treat-ment of cancers. L. Živkovic et al. found that this mushroomdisplayed antigenotoxic properties that were illustrated usingComet assay in human peripheral blood monocyte cellstreated with H2O2 and acted as a strong •OH scavenger.

H. Wu et al. discussed on the inhibition of the high-mobility box 1-mediated pathway which could contributeto enhance anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects ofresveratrol on diabetic cardiomyopathy disease.

In addition to attacking susceptible macromolecules,protein, DNA, and lipid, ROS modulate the expression ofgenes that are regulated by nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB).For example, Nrf2 stimulates the transcription of antioxidantenzymes through the antioxidant-responsive elements (ARE)and the activation of NF-κB elicits the gene expression of

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inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, there is a concerted mod-ulation of Nrf2 and NF-κB in inflammation and oxidativestress. In this context, many nutraceuticals exert their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects through the inhibitionof NF-κB and the activation of Nrf2, respectively.

The organosulfur compound sulforaphane (SFN) hasbeen evaluated by A. Dong et al., who observed that this com-pound upregulated Nrf2 expression as well as attenuated theinflammation process, by inhibiting NLRP3 and NF-κB path-ways, in acute pancreatitis, a pathology in which oxidativestress is closely related to tissue damage.

A. Gegotek et al. observed the effects of the flavonoidrutin in UV-irradiated fibroblasts, in which it reduced theproinflammatory response measured by TNF-α and NF-κBlevels; the oxidative response of xanthine and NADPH oxi-dases involved in the generation of superoxide radicals alsodiminished, linked with an increase in Nrf2 expression. E.Profumo et al. reported that the anti-inflammatory effect ofthe nutraceutical Dehydrozingerone is in part due to theinhibition of the NF-κB pathway. On the other hand, theanti-inflammatory activity could be mediated also by otherpathways. S. Qi et al. reported that myricitrin suppressedthe production of free radicals and inflammatory cytokinesand decreased the mRNA levels of nitric oxide synthase, theassembly of the components of the NADPH oxidase enzymecomplex (gp91 phox and p47 phox), and the phosphoryla-tion of Janus kinases (JAKs) and signal transducer and acti-vator of transcription 1 (STAT1).

In order to overcome the problem of the low solubilityand bioavailability of polyphenols, M. R. Lauro et al. devel-oped and tested an eriocitrin/hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrininclusion complex as dietary flavonoid supplement to beemployed in osteoarthritis.

In humans, also the subjects’ characteristics influence theresponse to nutraceuticals. T. Magrone et al. reported that theperipheral blood mononuclear cells from obese and normal-weight subjects respond to the treatment with red grape poly-phenols in vitro in a different manner, in particular, in termsof IL-2 and IL-21 production. A. Finamore et al. pointed outthat the effects of Spirulina on cytokines and on lymphocytes’proliferation depend on age, gender, and body weight dif-ferences. Ageing and obesity are both associated withchronic low-grade inflammation, immune impairment, andintestinal dysbiosis. In this context, one of the most promis-ing areas for the development of functional foods lies in mod-ulation of the immune system by the use of probiotics,prebiotics, and synbiotics. Particularly, research examiningthe interactions occurring between probiotics, prebiotics,and nutraceuticals at the levels of the gut microbiota and ofthe gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) is emerging.These interactions are relevant in the design of nutraceuticalsand functional food for the prevention of noncommunicablediseases associated with dysbiosis, oxidative stress, andchronic low-grade inflammation.

P. Kleniewska and R. Pawliczak reported that a 7-weeksynbiotics (Lactobacillus casei+ Inulin) supplementationimproved oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, hydro-gen peroxide, glutathione, and free sulfhydryl groups) inhealthy subjects.

Medicinal botanicals contain a diverse range of sub-stances exerting multifaceted bioactions potentially beneficialto human health. Leonurus sibiricus L. has been reported topossess cardioprotective, anticancer, analgesic, anti-inflam-matory, and neuroprotective activities. Adding the list ofthese bioactions, P. Sitarek et al. examined the antibacterial,anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiproliferative proper-ties of essential oils in Leonurus sibiricus L. Using severalin vitro platforms, they reported that essential oils, such asβ-selinene, β-caryophyllene, and germacrene, contributedto the antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, andantiproliferative properties of Leonurus sibiricus L. Theseresults support future studies to examine their therapeuticapplications, as well as their use as food preservative. Thesame research group also applied the same methodologiesto examine antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxi-dant properties of a Rhaponticum carthamoide root. Thismedicinal plant has been traditionally used to treat overstrainand weakness. The study of E. Skala et al. showed that essen-tial oils of Rhaponticum carthamoide root exhibited antimi-crobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities.

M. Remely et al. reported the beneficial effects of EGCGon gut microbiota, stressing out their anti-inflammatory,antioxidant, and epigenetic effects. M. Camps-Bossacomaet al. discussed on the potential tolerogenic role of cocoa dieton gut microbiota in orally sensitized mice. L. Dugo et al.examined the effect of cocoa polyphenolic extract on macro-phage polarization from the proinflammatoryM1 to the anti-inflammatory M2 state. They found in this vitro experimentthat cocoa polyphenolic extract not only suppressed inflam-mation of macrophages in the M2 state but also changedmacrophage metabolism by promoting oxidative pathways.However, the interpretation of the noted positive datamust be taken with some cautions as cocoa polyphenolsmay not be present in the same chemical forms after absorp-tion in the gastrointestinal tract. Further, future studies arewarranted to identify pathways or molecular signals involvedin the M1/M2 switch of macrophages.

In conclusion, this special issue highlights the impor-tance of using different methodological approaches inorder to clarify the mechanisms of the potential healtheffects of nutraceuticals.

Acknowledgments

The editors thank all authors who submitted their research tothis special issue. They also thank the many reviewers fortheir valuable contribution to this special issue.

Ilaria PelusoThea Magrone

Débora Villaño ValenciaC.-Y. Oliver ChenMaura Palmery

2 Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

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Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Microbial-Modulating ...downloads.hindawi.com/journals/omcl/2017/7658617.pdf · Editorial Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Microbial-Modulating