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Session 1: Antioxidants and the immune system
21-24 October 2009
The 3rd International Immunonutrition Workshop
Platja D'Aro, Girona, Spain
Abbreviation:
AP-1
activating protein-1
CRP
C-reactive protein
LPS
lipopolysaccharide
MAPK
mitogen-activated protein kinase
It is widely recognized that lifestyle factors, particularly diet, play a paramount role in the development or prevention of degenerative diseases(1,2). Thus, there is growing interest worldwide in the prospect that overall diet as well as particular foods can promote and help maintain a good health status. Evidence has been provided that suggests that dietary patterns rich in foods of plant origin, such as fruits and vegetables, play a key role in disease prevention through a multi-factorial action involving a modulation of the immune system and the inflammatory response(3,4). If the inflammatory response is not properly controlled, excess inflammatory stress may be induced, becoming a key modulator of endothelial damage playing a role in the pathogenesis of risk factors for CVD including obesity, hyperglycaemia and dyslipidaemia(1). Inflammatory response mediated by acute-phase proteins such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and cytokines such as IL-6 may directly influence plaque vulnerability and rupture(5). TNFα promotes the inflammatory cascade within the arterial wall, by inducing endothelial cell injury, as well as regulating leucocyte activation, maturation, cytokine and chemokine release, and production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediates(6). Soluble forms of cellular adhesion molecules, such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, are considered to be markers of endothelial activation(7) elevated in patients suffering from CVD(8).
Polyphenols are secondary metabolites of plants involved in pigmentation, reproduction and protection against pathogens(9). Currently, there are more than 8000 known polyphenols sharing a common chemical structure (hydroxyl group on aromatic ring) with different constituents. Flavonoids are the most abundant polyphenols present in the human diet and represent a class of molecules characterized by a C6-C3-C6 backbone structure(9). Flavonoids can be divided into several subclasses according to different constituents such as flavanones, flavone, flavanols and flavonols. They can be found in almost all foods of vegetable...