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The effect of vitamin D and calcium supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers, estradiol levels and severity of symptoms in women with postpartum depression: a randomized double-blind clinical trial.
Amini, S, Amani, R, Jafarirad, S, Cheraghian, B, Sayyah, M, Hemmati, AA
Nutritional neuroscience. 2022;(1):22-32
Abstract
Objectives: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a major depressive disorder. Vitamin D deficiency may play a role in PPD pathogenesis. This study was designed to determine the effect of vitamin D and calcium supplementation on the severity of symptoms and some related inflammatory biomarkers in women with PPD.Materials and Methods: Eighty-one women with a PPD score >12 participated in this study. A total of 27 patients were randomly assigned into three groups (1:1:1 ratio) to receive either 50,000 IU vitamin D3 fortnightly + 500 mg calcium carbonate daily; or 50,000 IU vitamin D3 fortnightly + placebo of calcium carbonate daily, or placebo of vitamin D3 fortnightly + placebo of calcium carbonate daily (placebo group) for 8 weeks. At the baseline and end of the study, the severity score of PPD, levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D, calcium, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), interleukin 6 (IL6) and estradiol were measured.Results: The PPD score had more reduction in the vitamin D + calcium and vitamin D + calcium placebo groups than that of the placebo group (-1.7 ± 3.44, -4.16 ± 5.90 and 0.25 ± 2.81, respectively; p = 0.008). The effect of vitamin D on the PPD score was larger when vitamin D was given alone than given together with calcium (p = 0.042 and p = 0.004, respectively). No significant differences in estradiol, IL6 and TNFα were observed between the three groups.Discussion: Vitamin D may be effective in improving the clinical symptoms of PPD; however, the mechanism of the effect might not entirely operate through inflammatory and/or hormonal changes.
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Healthy and pro-inflammatory gut ecology plays a crucial role in the digestion and tolerance of a novel Gluten Friendly™ bread in celiac subjects: a randomized, double blind, placebo control in vivo study.
Andriulli, A, Bevilacqua, A, Palmieri, O, Latiano, A, Fontana, R, Gioffreda, D, Castellana, S, Mazza, T, Panza, A, Menzaghi, C, et al
Food & function. 2022;(3):1299-1315
Abstract
Gluten Friendly™ (GF) is a new gluten achieved through a physicochemical process applied to wheat kernels. The goal of this research was to assess the in vivo effects of Gluten Friendly™ bread on celiac gut mucosa and microbiota. In a double-blind placebo-controlled intervention study, 48 celiac disease (CD) patients were randomized into 3 groups to eat 100 g of bread daily, containing different doses (0; 3 g; 6 g) of GF for 12 weeks. The small-bowel morphology (VH/CrD), intraepithelial densities of CD3+, celiac serology, MUC2, CB1, gut permeability, proinflammatory cytokines, gluten in stools, symptoms, and gut microbial composition were assessed. All 48 CD subjects experienced no symptoms. K-means analysis evidenced celiac subjects clustering around unknown parameters independent of GF dosage: K1 35%; K2 30%; K3 35%. VH/CrD significantly decreased in K1 and K2. VH/CrD did not correlate with IEL increase in K2. 33-mer was not detected in 47% and 73% of patients in both K1 and K2, respectively. VH/CrD and IEL did not change significantly and strongly correlated with the absence of 33-mer in K3. Inflammation and VH/CrD decrease are strongly related with the presence of proinflammatory species at the baseline. A boost in probiotic, butyrate-producing genera, is strongly related with GF tolerance at the end of the trial. Our research suggests that a healthy and proinflammatory ecology could play a crucial role in the digestion and tolerance of the new gluten molecule in celiac subjects. However, GF can be completely digested by gut microbiota of CD subjects and shapes it toward gut homeostasis by boosting healthy butyrate-producing populations. The clinical trial registry number is NCT03137862 (https://clinicaltrials.gov).
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3.
Maresin-1 and Inflammatory Disease.
Saito-Sasaki, N, Sawada, Y, Nakamura, M
International journal of molecular sciences. 2022;(3)
Abstract
Inflammation is an essential action to protect the host human body from external, harmful antigens and microorganisms. However, an excessive inflammation reaction sometimes exceeds tissue damage and can disrupt organ functions. Therefore, anti-inflammatory action and resolution mechanisms need to be clarified. Dietary foods are an essential daily lifestyle that influences various human physiological processes and pathological conditions. Especially, omega-3 fatty acids in the diet ameliorate chronic inflammatory skin diseases. Recent studies have identified that omega-3 fatty acid derivatives, such as the resolvin series, showed strong anti-inflammatory actions in various inflammatory diseases. Maresin-1 is a derivative of one of the representative omega-3 fatty acids, i.e., docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and has shown beneficial action in inflammatory disease models. In this review, we summarize the detailed actions of maresin-1 in immune cells and inflammatory diseases.
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An Overview of Systematic Reviews of the Role of Vitamin D on Inflammation in Patients with Diabetes and the Potentiality of Its Application on Diabetic Patients with COVID-19.
Argano, C, Mallaci Bocchio, R, Lo Monaco, M, Scibetta, S, Natoli, G, Cavezzi, A, Troiani, E, Corrao, S
International journal of molecular sciences. 2022;(5)
Abstract
Almost two years have passed since the outbreak reported for the first time in Wuhan of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), due to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 coronavirus, rapidly evolved into a pandemic. This infectious disease has stressed global health care systems. The mortality rate is higher, particularly in elderly population and in patients with comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, chronic renal disease, and malignancy. Among them, subjects with diabetes have a high risk of developing severe form of COVID-19 and show increased mortality. How diabetes contributes to COVID-19 severity remains unclear. It has been hypothesized that it may be correlated with the effects of hyperglycemia on systemic inflammatory responses and immune system dysfunction. Vitamin D (VD) is a modulator of immune-response. Data from literature showed that vitamin D deficiency in COVID-19 patients increases COVID-19 severity, likely because of its negative impact on immune and inflammatory responses. Therefore, the use of vitamin D might play a role in some aspects of the infection, particularly the inflammatory state and the immune system function of patients. Moreover, a piece of evidence highlighted a link among vitamin D deficiency, obesity and diabetes, all factors associated with COVID-19 severity. Given this background, we performed an overview of the systematic reviews to assess the association between vitamin D supplementation and inflammatory markers in patients with diabetes; furthermore, vitamin D's possible role in COVID-19 patients was assessed as well. Three databases, namely MEDLINE, PubMed Central and the Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews, were reviewed to retrieve the pertinent data. The aim of this review is to provide insight into the recent advances about the molecular basis of the relationship between vitamin D, immune response, inflammation, diabetes and COVID-19.
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Changes in aqueous and vitreous inflammatory cytokine levels in diabetic macular oedema: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Minaker, SA, Mason, RH, Lahaie Luna, G, Farahvash, A, Garg, A, Bhambra, N, Bapat, P, Muni, RH
Acta ophthalmologica. 2022;(1):e53-e70
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Abstract
Diabetic macular oedema (DME) is considered a chronic inflammatory disease associated with aberrations in many intraocular cytokines. Studies assessing the role of these cytokines as biomarkers in the diagnosis and management of DME have demonstrated inconsistent findings. We quantitatively summarized data related to 116 candidate aqueous and vitreous inflammatory cytokines as biomarkers in DME. A systematic search without year limitation was performed up to 19 October 2020. Studies were included if they provided data on aqueous or vitreous cytokine concentrations in patients with DME. Effect sizes were generated as standardized mean differences (SMDs) of cytokine concentrations between patients with DME and controls. Data were extracted from 128 studies that included 4163 study eyes with DME and 1281 control eyes. Concentrations (standard mean difference, 95% confidence interval and p-value) of aqueous IL-6 (1.28, 0.57-2.00, p = 0.004), IL-8 (1.06, 0.74-1.39, p < 0.00001), MCP-1 (1.36, 0.57-2.16, p = 0.0008) and VEGF (1.31, 1.01-1.62, p < 0.00001) and vitreous VEGF (2.27, 1.55-2.99, p < 0.00001) were significantly higher in patients with DME (n = 4163) compared to healthy controls (n = 1281). No differences, failed sensitivity analyses or insufficient data were found between patients with DME and healthy controls for the concentrations of the remaining cytokines. This analysis implicates multiple cytokine biomarker candidates other than VEGF in DME and clarifies previously reported inconsistent associations. As the therapeutic options for DME expand to include multiple agents with multiple targets, it will be critical to manage the treatment burden with tailored therapy that optimizes outcomes and minimizes treatment burden. Intraocular cytokines have the promise of providing a robust individualized assessment of disease status and response to therapy. We have identified key candidate cytokines that may serve as biomarkers in individualized treatment algorithms.
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Zinc supplementation is associated with a reduction in serum markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Hosseini, R, Ferns, GA, Sahebkar, A, Mirshekar, MA, Jalali, M
Cytokine. 2021;:155396
Abstract
BACKGROUND Zinc (Zn) is a trace metal that is considered to have an impact on chronic inflammation. However, findings of clinical trials have been inconsistent. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to provide a more robust examination of the evidence on the effectiveness of Zn supplements on markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. METHODS A systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library was undertaken to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the impact of Zn on inflammation and oxidative stress until 17 August 2020. We applied a random-effects method to obtain effect sizes (ES) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Meta-regression was used to detect the potential source of between-study heterogeneity. RESULTS Twenty-one eligible RCTs comprising 1321 participants were included in the meta-analysis. In comparison with the control groups, serum C-reactive protein (CRP) (ES = -0.92 mg/L, 95% CI = [-1.36, -0.48], P < 0.001, I2 = 90.2%), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) (ES = -0.49 pg/mL, 95% CI = [-084, -0.14], P = 0.006, I2 = 34.6%) and malondialdehyde (MDA) (ES = -0.42, 95% CI = [-083, -0.01], P = 0.04, I2 = 76.1%) were significantly reduced in the groups receiving Zn. Serum interleukin 6 (ES = -1.02 pg/mL, 95% CI = [-2.06, 0.02], P = 0.05, I2 = 92.3%) was marginally reduced following Zn supplementation. Moreover, treatment duration was found as the source of inter-study heterogeneity. CONCLUSION This meta-analysis suggests that Zn supplements reduce serum concentrations of markers of inflammation and oxidation: CRP, TNF-α and MDA.
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Assessment of a 4-Week Starch- and Sucrose-Reduced Diet and Its Effects on Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Inflammatory Parameters among Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Nilholm, C, Larsson, E, Sonestedt, E, Roth, B, Ohlsson, B
Nutrients. 2021;(2)
Abstract
Dietary advice constitutes a treatment strategy for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We aimed to examine the effect of a starch- and sucrose-reduced diet (SSRD) on gastrointestinal symptoms in IBS patients, in relation to dietary intake and systemic inflammatory parameters. IBS patients (n = 105) were randomized to a 4-week SSRD intervention (n = 80) receiving written and verbal dietary advice focused on starch and sucrose reduction and increased intake of protein, fat and dairy, or control group (n = 25; habitual diet). At baseline and 4 weeks, blood was sampled, and participants filled out IBS-SSS, VAS-IBS, and Rome IV questionnaires and dietary registrations. C-reactive protein and cytokines TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-18 were analyzed from plasma. At 4 weeks, the intervention group displayed lower total IBS-SSS, 'abdominal pain', 'bloating/flatulence' and 'intestinal symptoms´ influence on daily life' scores (p ≤ 0.001 for all) compared to controls, and a 74%, responder rate (RR = ΔTotal IBS-SSS ≥ -50; RRcontrols = 24%). Median values of sucrose (5.4 vs. 20 g), disaccharides (16 vs. 28 g), starch (22 vs. 82 g) and carbohydrates (88 vs. 182 g) were lower for the intervention group compared to controls (p ≤ 0.002 for all), and energy percentages (E%) of protein (21 vs. 17 E%, p = 0.006) and fat (47 vs. 38 E%, p = 0.002) were higher. Sugar-, starch- and carbohydrate-reductions correlated weakly-moderately with total IBS-SSS decrease for all participants. Inflammatory parameters were unaffected. IBS patients display high compliance to the SSRD, with improved gastrointestinal symptoms but unaltered inflammatory parameters. In conclusion, the SSRD constitutes a promising dietary treatment for IBS, but needs to be further researched and compared to established dietary treatments before it could be used in a clinical setting.
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The design and discovery of phospholipase A2 inhibitors for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
Batsika, CS, Gerogiannopoulou, AD, Mantzourani, C, Vasilakaki, S, Kokotos, G
Expert opinion on drug discovery. 2021;(11):1287-1305
Abstract
AREAS COVERED This review article summarizes the most important synthetic PLA2 inhibitors developed to target each one of the four major types of human PLA2 (cytosolic cPLA2, calcium-independent iPLA2, secreted sPLA2, and lipoprotein-associated Lp-PLA2), discussing their in vitro and in vivo activities as well as their recent applications and therapeutic properties. Recent findings on the role of PLA2 in the pathobiology of COVID-19 are also discussed. EXPERT OPINION Although a number of PLA2 inhibitors have entered clinical trials, none has reached the market yet. Lipoprotein-associated PLA2 is now considered a biomarker of vascular inflammation rather than a therapeutic target for inhibitors like darapladib. Inhibitors of cytosolic PLA2 may find topical applications for diseases like atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Inhibitors of secreted PLA2, varespladib and varespladib methyl, are under investigation for repositioning in snakebite envenoming. A deeper understanding of PLA2 enzymes is needed for the development of novel selective inhibitors. Lipidomic technologies combined with medicinal chemistry approaches may be useful tools toward this goal.
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A posteriori dietary patterns and their association with systemic low-grade inflammation in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Norde, MM, Collese, TS, Giovannucci, E, Rogero, MM
Nutrition reviews. 2021;(3):331-350
Abstract
CONTEXT A posteriori dietary patterns are promising ways of uncovering potential public health strategies for the prevention of systemic, low-grade, inflammation-related, chronic noncommunicable diseases. OBJECTIVE To investigate and summarize the current evidence on the association between a posteriori dietary patterns and systemic, low-grade inflammation in adults. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and LILACS were searched. DATA EXTRACTION Data screening, extraction, and quality assessment were performed independently by 2 investigators. Meta-analysis with random effects was conducted. Differences and similarities between reduced rank regression-derived dietary patterns were assessed. RESULTS Healthy dietary patterns are inversely and the Western dietary pattern is positively associated with inflammation (r = -0.13, 95% confidence interval -0.20 to -0.06; and r = 0.11, 95% confidence interval, 0.09-0.12, respectively). Reduced rank regression-derived anti-inflammatory dietary patterns are consistently characterized by high intake of fresh fruits and inflammatory dietary patterns are consistently characterized by high intake of red and processed meat and low intake of vegetables. CONCLUSION Favoring the substitution of a Westernized diet for a healthy diet may lower inflammation, which might improve the prevention of some chronic noncommunicable diseases.
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Human gut-microbiome interplay: Analysis of clinical studies for the emerging roles of diagnostic microbiology in inflammation, oncogenesis and cancer management.
Jiang, Z, Li, L, Chen, J, Wei, G, Ji, Y, Chen, X, Liu, J, Huo, J
Infection, genetics and evolution : journal of molecular epidemiology and evolutionary genetics in infectious diseases. 2021;:104946
Abstract
Microorganisms have been known to coexist in various parts of human body including the gut. The interactions between microbes and the surrounding tissues of the host are critical for fine fettle of the gut. The incidence of such microorganisms tends to vary among specific type of cancer affected individuals. Such microbial communities of specific tumor sites in cancer affected individuals could plausibly be used as prognostic and/or diagnostic markers for tumors associated with that specific site. Microorganisms of intestinal and non-intestinal origins including Helicobacter pylori can target several organs, act as carcinogens and promote cancer. It is interesting to note that diets causing inflammation can also increase the cancer risk. Yet, dietary supplementation with prebiotics and probiotics can reduce the incidence of cancer. Therefore, both diet and microbial community of the gut have dual roles of prevention and oncogenesis. Hence, this review intends to summarize certain important details related to gut microbiome and cancer.