Interactions between Dietary Flavonoids and Gut Microbiota: Functional Outcomes

A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2014) | Viewed by 25250

Special Issue Editors

Antioxidants Research Laboratory, Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA
Interests: dietary antioxidants; chronic disease prevention
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
1. Biofortis Research, Merieux Nutrisciences, Addison, IL, USA
2. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
Interests: antioxidants; oxidative stress; polyphenols; flavonoids; glucoregulation; inflammation; tree nuts; berries; whole grains
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues.

Flavonoids are secondary plant metabolites and are ubiquitous in plant foods. After consumption, flavonoids influence numerous metabolic and signaling pathways involved in the initiation and/or progression of chronic diseases. The human gut is densely populated with commensal and symbiotic microbiota, with the majority of the constituent microbes being bacteria. Gut microbiota have been implicated in developmental, immunological, and nutritional function of the host and, thus, appear to have a profound impact on human health beyond the fermentation of non-digestible food compounds. The microbiota composition of healthy people differs from that of patients with obesity, diabetes mellitus, and other chronic diseases. Ingested flavonoids are mostly transferred to the lower gut where they are subject to gut microbiota-mediated metabolism. Elucidating the metabolic fate of dietary flavonoids in the lower gut and related interactions between flavonoids and microbiota will contribute to our understanding of their impact on human health and the application of this knowledge to revising dietary guidelines and developing novel functional foods. The aim of this special issue is to cover and expand upon the following issues:

  • Interactions between flavonoids and gut microbiota and their impact on health; in particular through research approaches employing high-throughput metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, and metabolomic methods
  • The use and strengths, and limitations of various experimental approaches, including in vitro gut models, human microbiota-associated animal studies, and human intervention trials in helping to unravel the mechanisms and consequences of interactions between flavonoids and gut microbiota
  • To elucidate the impact of individual genetic, inflammatory, pathophysiological, and/or dietary factors on the interaction between flavonoids and gut microbiota

Prof. Dr. Jeffrey B. Blumberg
Dr. C.-Y. Oliver Chen
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • flavonoids
  • gut microbiota
  • metagenomic
  • metabolomic
  • chronic disease
  • inflammation
  • antioxidation
  • intestinal integrity
  • immunity

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

352 KiB  
Review
Studies on Modulation of Gut Microbiota by Wine Polyphenols: From Isolated Cultures to Omic Approaches
by Montserrat Dueñas, Carolina Cueva, Irene Muñoz-González, Ana Jiménez-Girón, Fernando Sánchez-Patán, Celestino Santos-Buelga, M. Victoria Moreno-Arribas and Begoña Bartolomé
Antioxidants 2015, 4(1), 1-21; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox4010001 - 05 Jan 2015
Cited by 75 | Viewed by 11852
Abstract
Moderate consumption of wine seems to produce positive health effects derived from the occurrence of bioactive polyphenols. The gut microbiota is involved in the metabolism of phenolic compounds, and these compounds and/or their metabolites may modulate gut microbiota through the stimulation of the [...] Read more.
Moderate consumption of wine seems to produce positive health effects derived from the occurrence of bioactive polyphenols. The gut microbiota is involved in the metabolism of phenolic compounds, and these compounds and/or their metabolites may modulate gut microbiota through the stimulation of the growth of beneficial bacteria and the inhibition of pathogenic bacteria. The characterization of bacterial metabolites derived from polyphenols is essential in order to understand their effects, including microbial modulation, and therefore to associate dietary intake with particular health effects. This review aims to summarize the current information about the two-way “wine polyphenols–gut microbiota” interaction, from a perspective based on the experimental and analytical designs used. The availability of advanced methods for monitoring bacterial communities, along with the combination of in vitro and in vivo models, could help to assess the metabolism of polyphenols in the human body and to monitor total bacterial communities, and, therefore, to elucidate the implications of diet on the modulation of microbiota for delivering health benefits. Full article
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Review
Flavonoids Affect Host-Microbiota Crosstalk through TLR Modulation
by Francisco J. Pérez-Cano, Malen Massot-Cladera, Maria J. Rodríguez-Lagunas and Margarida Castell
Antioxidants 2014, 3(4), 649-670; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox3040649 - 17 Oct 2014
Cited by 42 | Viewed by 12538
Abstract
Interaction between host cells and microbes is known as crosstalk. Among other mechanisms, this takes place when certain molecules of the micro-organisms are recognized by the toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the body cells, mainly in the intestinal epithelial cells and in the immune [...] Read more.
Interaction between host cells and microbes is known as crosstalk. Among other mechanisms, this takes place when certain molecules of the micro-organisms are recognized by the toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the body cells, mainly in the intestinal epithelial cells and in the immune cells. TLRs belong to the pattern-recognition receptors and represent the first line of defense against pathogens, playing a pivotal role in both innate and adaptive immunity. Dysregulation in the activity of such receptors can lead to the development of chronic and severe inflammation as well as immunological disorders. Among components present in the diet, flavonoids have been suggested as antioxidant dietary factors able to modulate TLR-mediated signaling pathways. This review focuses on the molecular targets involved in the modulatory action of flavonoids on TLR-mediated signaling pathways, providing an overview of the mechanisms involved in such action. Particular flavonoids have been able to modify the composition of the microbiota, to modulate TLR gene and protein expression, and to regulate the downstream signaling molecules involved in the TLR pathway. These synergistic mechanisms suggest the role of some flavonoids in the preventive effect on certain chronic diseases. Full article
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