Watkins Bruce A, Hannon Kevin, Ferruzzi Mario, Li Yong
Department of Food Science, Center for Enhancing Foods to Protect Health, Lipid Chemistry and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
J Nutr Biochem. 2007 Mar;18(3):196-205. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2006.12.002.
Various nutrients and plant-derived phytochemicals are associated with a reduced risk of many diet-related chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and osteoporosis. A common theme that links many chronic diseases is uncontrolled inflammation. The long-chain (LC) omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and flavonoids are known to possess anti-inflammatory actions in cell cultures, animal models and humans. Minimizing the condition of persistent inflammation has been a primary aim for drug development, but understanding how food components attenuate this process is at the nexus for improving the human condition. The prevalence of environmental toxins such as heavy metals and organics that contribute to diminished levels of antioxidants likely aggravates inflammatory states when intakes of omega-3 PUFA and flavonoids are marginal. Scientists at Purdue University have formed a collaboration to better understand the metabolism and physiology of flavonoids. This new effort is focused on determining how candidate flavonoids and their metabolites affect gene targets of inflammation in cell culture and animal models. The challenge of this research is to understand how LC omega-3 PUFA and flavonoids affect the biology of inflammation. The goal is to determine how nutrients and phytochemicals attenuate chronic inflammation associated with a number of diet-related diseases that occur throughout the life cycle. The experimental approach involves molecular, biochemical and physiological endpoints of aging, cancer, obesity and musculoskeletal diseases. Examples include investigations on the combined effects of PUFA and cyanidins on inflammatory markers in cultures of human cancer cells. The actions of catechins and PUFA on muscle loss and osteopenia are being studied in a rodent model of disuse atrophy to explain how muscle and bone communicate to prevent tissue loss associated with injury, disease and aging. The purpose of this review is to introduce the concept for studying food components that influence inflammation and how LC omega-3 PUFA and flavonoids could be used therapeutically against inflammation that is mediated by environmental pollutants.
多种营养素和植物源植物化学物质与包括心血管疾病、癌症、糖尿病、关节炎和骨质疏松症在内的许多与饮食相关的慢性疾病风险降低有关。许多慢性疾病的一个共同主题是炎症失控。已知长链（LC）ω-3多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFA）和类黄酮在细胞培养、动物模型和人类中具有抗炎作用。将持续性炎症的状况降至最低一直是药物开发的主要目标，但了解食物成分如何减弱这一过程是改善人类健康状况的关键所在。当ω-3多不饱和脂肪酸和类黄酮的摄入量处于边缘水平时，诸如重金属和有机物等环境毒素的普遍存在可能会导致抗氧化剂水平降低，从而加重炎症状态。普渡大学的科学家们已经展开合作，以更好地了解类黄酮的代谢和生理学。这项新的工作重点在于确定候选类黄酮及其代谢产物如何影响细胞培养和动物模型中炎症的基因靶点。这项研究的挑战在于了解长链ω-3多不饱和脂肪酸和类黄酮如何影响炎症生物学。目标是确定营养素和植物化学物质如何减弱与生命周期中出现的多种与饮食相关疾病相关的慢性炎症。实验方法涉及衰老、癌症、肥胖和肌肉骨骼疾病的分子、生化和生理终点。例如，对多不饱和脂肪酸和花青素对人类癌细胞培养中炎症标志物的联合作用进行研究。在废用性萎缩的啮齿动物模型中，正在研究儿茶素和多不饱和脂肪酸对肌肉损失和骨质减少的作用，以解释肌肉和骨骼如何相互作用以防止与损伤、疾病和衰老相关的组织损失。本综述的目的是介绍研究影响炎症的食物成分的概念，以及长链ω-3多不饱和脂肪酸和类黄酮如何用于治疗由环境污染物介导的炎症。
