Abstract
Natural antioxidants may be defined as molecules that prevent cell damage against free radicals and are critical for maintaining optimum health in both animals and humans. In all living systems, cells require adequate levels of antioxidant defenses in order to avoid the harmful effect of an excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and to prevent damage to the immune cells. During the inflammatory processes, the activation of phagocytes and/or the action of bacterial products with specific receptors are capable of promoting the assembly of the multicomponent flavoprotein NADPH oxidase, which catalyzes the production of high amounts of the superoxide anion radical (O2-). Under these particular circumstances, neutrophils and macrophages are recognized to produce superoxide free radicals and H2O2, which are essential for defence against phagocytized or invading microbes. In this state, antioxidants are absolutely necessary to regulate the reactions that release free radicals. Antioxidant nutrients commonly included in the diet such as vitamin E, vitamin C, β-carotene, selenium, copper, iron and zinc improve different immune function exhibiting an important protective role in infections caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites. As a result, dietary antioxidants have been related to modulate the host susceptibility or resistance to infectious pathogens. Overall, numerous studies have suggested that the development of tolerance, and control of inflammation are strongly correlated with specific immune mechanisms that may be altered by an inadequate supply of either macronutrients or micronutrients. Therefore, the present paper will review the effects of dietary antioxidants on immune cell function and the impact on protection against infectious microorganisms.
Keywords: Dietary antioxidants, immune system, infection, vitamins, trace elements, reactive oxygen species, superoxide free radicals, resistance to infectious pathogens, tolerance, inflammation, phagocytized or invading microbes, multicomponent flavoprotein
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry
Title: Dietary Antioxidants: Immunity and Host Defense
Volume: 11 Issue: 14
Author(s): Maria A. Puertollano, Elena Puertollano, Gerardo Alvarez de Cienfuegos and Manuel A. de Pablo
Affiliation:
Keywords: Dietary antioxidants, immune system, infection, vitamins, trace elements, reactive oxygen species, superoxide free radicals, resistance to infectious pathogens, tolerance, inflammation, phagocytized or invading microbes, multicomponent flavoprotein
Abstract: Natural antioxidants may be defined as molecules that prevent cell damage against free radicals and are critical for maintaining optimum health in both animals and humans. In all living systems, cells require adequate levels of antioxidant defenses in order to avoid the harmful effect of an excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and to prevent damage to the immune cells. During the inflammatory processes, the activation of phagocytes and/or the action of bacterial products with specific receptors are capable of promoting the assembly of the multicomponent flavoprotein NADPH oxidase, which catalyzes the production of high amounts of the superoxide anion radical (O2-). Under these particular circumstances, neutrophils and macrophages are recognized to produce superoxide free radicals and H2O2, which are essential for defence against phagocytized or invading microbes. In this state, antioxidants are absolutely necessary to regulate the reactions that release free radicals. Antioxidant nutrients commonly included in the diet such as vitamin E, vitamin C, β-carotene, selenium, copper, iron and zinc improve different immune function exhibiting an important protective role in infections caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites. As a result, dietary antioxidants have been related to modulate the host susceptibility or resistance to infectious pathogens. Overall, numerous studies have suggested that the development of tolerance, and control of inflammation are strongly correlated with specific immune mechanisms that may be altered by an inadequate supply of either macronutrients or micronutrients. Therefore, the present paper will review the effects of dietary antioxidants on immune cell function and the impact on protection against infectious microorganisms.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
A. Puertollano Maria, Puertollano Elena, Alvarez de Cienfuegos Gerardo and A. de Pablo Manuel, Dietary Antioxidants: Immunity and Host Defense, Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry 2011; 11 (14) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156802611796235107
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156802611796235107 |
Print ISSN 1568-0266 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4294 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Chemistry Based on Natural Products for Therapeutic Purposes
The development of new pharmaceuticals for a wide range of medical conditions has long relied on the identification of promising natural products (NPs). There are over sixty percent of cancer, infectious illness, and CNS disease medications that include an NP pharmacophore, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Since NP ...read more
Current Trends in Drug Discovery Based on Artificial Intelligence and Computer-Aided Drug Design
Drug development discovery has faced several challenges over the years. In fact, the evolution of classical approaches to modern methods using computational methods, or Computer-Aided Drug Design (CADD), has shown promising and essential results in any drug discovery campaign. Among these methods, molecular docking is one of the most notable ...read more
Drug Discovery in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
In the age of artificial intelligence (AI), we have witnessed a significant boom in AI techniques for drug discovery. AI techniques are increasingly integrated and accelerating the drug discovery process. These developments have not only attracted the attention of academia and industry but also raised important questions regarding the selection ...read more
From Biodiversity to Chemical Diversity: Focus of Flavonoids
Flavonoids are the largest group of polyphenols, plant secondary metabolites arising from the essential aromatic amino acid phenylalanine (or more rarely from tyrosine) via the phenylpropanoid pathway. The flavan nucleus is the basic 15-carbon skeleton of flavonoids (C6-C3-C6), which consists of two phenyl rings (A and B) and a heterocyclic ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Cardiovascular Effects of Losartan and Its Relevant Clinical Application
Current Medicinal Chemistry The Impact of Hypertension as a Road to Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: Diagnostic Value of Two-Dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiography for the Early Impairment of Left Atrial-Left Ventricular-Arterial Coupling
Current Hypertension Reviews Animal Modeling of Cancer Pathology and Studying Tumor Response to Therapy
Current Drug Targets Hypertension in Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis: Emphasis on Antihypertensive Treatment and the Risk of Syncope
Current Hypertension Reviews Epigenetic Modulation of Myocardial Angiogenic Balance: An Emerging Therapeutic Perspective for Adult Failing Heart
Current Angiogenesis (Discontinued) Current Biology of MTP: Implications for Selective Inhibition
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Mining for Protein Kinase Substrates: Integration of Biochemistry, Genetics and Proteomics
Current Proteomics Reducing the Risk of Major Elective Non-cardiac Surgery: Is there a Role for Levosimendan in the Preoperative Optimization of Cardiac Function?
Current Drug Targets Neopterin as a Marker for Immune System Activation
Current Drug Metabolism Targeting the Endocannabinod System to Limit Myocardial and Cerebral Ischemic and Reperfusion Injury
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Strategy for a Genetic Assessment of Antipsychotic and Antidepressant- Related Proarrhythmia
Current Medicinal Chemistry A Review of Patents on Implantable Heart-Compression/Assist Devices and Systems
Recent Patents on Biomedical Engineering (Discontinued) Recent advances in the management of autoimmune myocarditis: insights from animal studies.
Current Pharmaceutical Design Interferon Treatment in Patients with Hypereosinophilia
Current Drug Targets Clinical Implications of Recent Insights into the Structural Biology of Beta2 Adrenoceptors
Current Drug Targets Impact of Ultrasound Contrast Agents in Echocardiographic Assessment of Ischemic Heart Disease
Recent Patents on Cardiovascular Drug Discovery Erythropoietin and mTOR: A “One-Two Punch” for Aging-Related Disorders Accompanied by Enhanced Life Expectancy
Current Neurovascular Research Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin in Salvage Chemotherapy for Multiple Myeloma Patients
Current Cancer Therapy Reviews Beta-Blockers in Pediatric Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathies
Reviews on Recent Clinical Trials Hydrogels: A Journey from Diapers to Gene Delivery
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry