Table 1.
Immunomodulatory proprieties of nutrients in lung inflammatory diseases.
| Pathology | Immunomodulatory role of nutrients | References |
|---|---|---|
| Asthma | Vitamins: • Vitamin A increases Treg cells and inhibits Th2 and Th17 cytokines in the lung; • Vitamin E reduces symptoms and decrease Th2 cytokines local and systemic ways |
(63–65) |
| Minerals: • Magnesium has bronchodilator effects and improve lung function; • Selenium protects airways membranes from oxidative damage |
(66–68) | |
| Flavonoids • Suppress eosinophil infiltration and inhibit degranulation of mast cells and basophils; • Decrease fibrotic factors, edema and attenuate hyperresponsiveness |
(69–73) | |
| Fibers: • Can modify gut microbiota increasing SCFAs, which regulate neutrophils and decrease allergic process |
(74) | |
|
• Fatty acids: • ω-3 reduces asthma score, increase acetylcholine and prevented allergen-induced reactions; • SCFAs protect from allergic lung inflammation and induces Treg cells inlung |
(75–77) | |
| COPD | Vitamins: • Vitamin D deficiency is correlated with impaired control of inflammation, associated with NF-κB and AP-1 signaling activation |
(78) |
| Minerals: • Severe COPD is associated with lower serumzinc |
(79) | |
| Fibers: • Reduce risk of COPD, since reduce systemic inflammations and C-reactive protein levels |
(74) | |
| Viral infections | Vitamins: • Vitamin A decreases the viral load and inflammatory cytokines, increases IFN-β, inhibits replication, and improves antibody response; • Vitamin C increases IFN-γ production by NK cells and cellular antiviral response; • Vitamin D induces antimicrobial peptides with antiviral activity and high levels of the iNF-κB inhibitor and decreases inflammatory cytokines |
(80–86) |
| Minerals: • Zinc induces Treg cells and the damping of Th17 and Th9 cells, increases CD4 T cells, contributes to adequate BCR antibody response, as well as inhibits RNA polymerase (necessary for the replication of RNA viruses) |
(87–90) | |
| Flavonoids: • Improve antibody response, cytotoxic activity and increase Treg cells; • Reduces viral replication and lung injury during infection |
(69, 91–95) | |
| Fibers: • Increases SCFAs synthesis leading to maturation and destiny of immune cells |
(23) | |
| • Fatty acids: • SCFAs promotes recruitment of immune cells to airways and protect against infections • Acetate increases production of IFN-β and protects from respiratory infection through receptor for acetate GPR43 |
(74, 96, 97) |
SCFAs, short-chain fatty acids; ω-3, omega-3.