Food and the Immune System : Molecular Mechanisms and Nutritional Relevance in Health and Disease

Nutrition is an important environmental factor for the maturation of the human immune system and essential for maintaining immunological homeostasis. Based on this, a variety of food applications with medical claims are being generated by food manufacturers worldwide in order to expand the market potential of products creating interesting linkages with other market segments, such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. However, in addition to the health benefits, active principles of such components often remain unexplored. This book focusses on the specific interactions between food ingredients and the immune system along the entire immune defense response. Starting from the immune barrier, through the innate and adaptive immune response, to active limitation and termination, all major mechanisms of the immune response are addressed and different biochemical, cellular and genetic interactions of components of our diet are discussed. The book presents a wealth of disease patterns for which nutritional factors are relevant and thereby provides indications for potential intervention strategies. In addition, associated food-technological aspects are discussed. Being the first of its kind, this book provides an overview of the variety of functional food components and their influence on immunological responses. Written in an accessible style, it addresses researchers, health professionals and students with different scientific backgrounds. This book is a translation of an original German edition. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation Preface Acknowledgements Disclaimer Contents Abbreviations and Special Nomenclatures 1 Basics: Basic Principles of the Immune System 1.1 Sequence of an Immunological Defense Reaction 1.2 Immune Functions as a Reflection of Cell Morphology 1.2.1 The Biological Cell and Its General Immune Functions 1.2.2 Influences of Food Components on Immune Functions 1.3 The Elements of the Immune System 1.3.1 Central and Peripheral Lymphatic Organs 1.3.1.1 Bone Marrow and Thymus Spleen Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue 1.3.2 Immune Cells and Factors of Innate Defense Response 1.3.2.1 The Complement System 1.3.2.2 Antimicrobial Agents 1.3.2.3 Macrophages 1.3.2.4 Granulocytes and the Mast Cell 1.3.2.5 Platelets 1.3.2.6 Natural Killer Cell 1.3.2.7 Signal Substance Network 1.3.3 Immune Cells and Factors of Adaptive Defense Response 1.3.3.1 Dendritic Cell 1.3.3.2 CD4+ -T-Helper Lymphocyte and CD8+ -T-Cytotoxic Lymphocyte 1.3.3.3 NKT Lymphocyte 1.3.3.4 γδ-T-Lymphocyte 1.3.3.5 B-Lymphocyte 1.3.3.6 Immunoglobulins Excursus I: Guidelines, Markets and Forms of Application of Immune-functional Foods Further Reading 2 The Immune Barrier: Influence of Food Components on the Intestinal Barrier 2.1 Epithelial Barriers of the Body 2.1.1 The Intestinal Barrier 2.2 Factors Influencing the Gut Microbiome 2.2.1 The Microbial Colonization of the Intestine 2.2.2 Influence of Antimicrobial Agents on Gut Microbial Colonization 2.2.3 Nutritional Factors Influencing Mucus Quality and Function 2.3 Influence of Prebiotics and Probiotics on the Intestinal Immune Barrier 2.3.1 Prebiotics 2.3.2 Probiotics 2.4 Probiotics as An Intervention Option of a Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Barrier 2.4.1 Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease 2.4.2 Probiotics as Interventional Agents Against Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease 2.5 Influence of Intestinal Barrier Inflammation on the Gut–Brain Axis 2.5.1 Signaling Pathways of the Gut–Brain Axis 2.5.2 Functional Interactions Between the Gut Microbiome, Immune Defense, and Psyche 2.5.3 Microorganisms as a Nutritional Therapeutic Approach to Psychological Disorders Excursus II: Formulation Concepts for Immune-Functional Foods Enhancing the Efficacy of Immune-Functional Food Components Through Specific Formulations Structuring of Active Ingredients Enzyme and Membrane Transporter Modifying Adjuncts and Intestinal Absorption Enhancers Formulations of Probiotics for Oral Applications Further Readings 3 The Defense Response of the Innate Immune System: Influences of Food Components on the Early Phase of the Immune Response 3.1 Food Lectins as Factors Influencing the Complement System 3.1.1 The Complement System as an Initiation Element of the Innate Defense Response 3.1.2 Food-Derived Lectins Modify Complement System Activity 3.2 Cell Migration of Immune Cells and Antiadhesive Oligosaccharides 3.3 Food Antioxidants Counteract Chemical Radicals from Defense Reactions 3.4 Food Components Influence the Signaling Network of the Early Defense Response 3.5 The Complement System as a Pathological Factor for Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Excursus III: The Influence of Specific Formulations of Food Fat Components on the Postprandial Kinetics of Dietary Fats Further Readings 4 The Adaptive Defense Response: Physiological and Pathological Stimulatory Potential of Food Components in the Antigen-Specific Immune Response 4.1 Food Components Are Basic Stimulants for Functional Targeting of the Adaptive Immune Response 4.1.1 Functional Targeting of the Adaptive Immune Response by Differential Antigen Presentation 4.1.2 The T-Lymphocyte Help 4.1.3 Lymphoid Follicle as an Initiation Site of the Adaptive Immune Response 4.2 Food-Induced Pathological Hyperreactions of Adaptive Immune Defenses 4.2.1 Humoral-Driven Pathological Hyperreaction: Allergy Type 1 4.2.2 Cellular-Driven Pathological Hyperreaction: Celiac Disease, Allergy Type 4 Excursus IV: Problems of Detection of the Effect of Immune-Functional Food Components from in Vitro Experiments to Clinical Studies Further Reading 5 Influence of Micro- and Macronutrients on the Clonal Phase of the Adaptive Immune Response 5.1 Influence of Micronutrients on Cell Proliferation in the Clonal Defense Phase 5.1.1 Clonal Selection and Expansion of Antigen-Activated Lymphocytes 5.1.2 The Vitamin B Group and Zinc Drive Lymphocytic Cell Proliferation as Essential Metabolic Cofactors 5.2 Cholecalciferol Counteracts Clonal Lymphocyte Expansion in the Adaptive Immune Response 5.2.1 The Cholecalciferol Metabolism 5.2.2 Effect of Cholecalciferol on Cellular Functions in Innate and Adaptive Immune Defenses 5.2.3 Pathophysiological Effects of Cholecalciferol Insufficiency on Adaptive Immune Defenses 5.3 Influence of Macronutrients on Adaptive Immune Defenses 5.3.1 Influence of Protein and Energy Deficiency Diseases on Immunocompetence 5.3.2 Fatty Tissue Links Energy Metabolism with the Immune System Excursus V: Sociocultural Influences on Nutritional Status and Immunocompetence Further Reading 6 Limitation and Termination of the Immune Response: Influences of Food Components on the Downregulation and Termination of the Immunological Defense Response 6.1 Cell-Mediated Limitation and Termination of an Immune Response 6.2 Limitation and Termination of an Immune Response by Lipid Mediators 6.2.1 Biosynthesis of Eicosanoids 6.2.2 The Lipid Mediators Regulating and Resolving Inflammatory Responses 6.2.3 Influence of Dietary Fatty Acids on the Lipid Mediator Profile 6.3 Therapeutic Options for Allergic Bronchial Asthma Using Dietary Fatty Acids Excursus VI: Raw Material Developments for Immune-Functional Dietary Fatty Acid Applications Further Reading 7 Immunogenetics: Influences of Food Components on the Expression of Immune-Related Genes 7.1 Basic Principles of Gene Expression 7.2 Food Components Influence Immune Function as an Epigenetic Factor 7.2.1 Basic Principles of Epigenetic Gene Expression Regulation 7.2.2 The Influence of Food Components on DNA Methylation and Histone Modification as Epigenetic Factors in Immune Regulation 7.3 Food Components as Transcription Factor Ligands of Immune-Relevant Genes 7.4 Influence of Nutritional Status on Post-Transcriptional Regulations of Protein Biosynthesis of Immune-Related Genes 7.4.1 Expression Regulation of Immune-Related Genes by Alternative mRNA Splicing 7.4.2 Influence of Interfering RNA on Immune Regulation 7.5 Pathophysiological Consequences of Nutritional Epigenetic Expression Regulation of NF-κB-Dependent Genes Excursus VII: Ethical Aspects of Epigenetics in Dietetics Further Reading Appendix Glossary