Melatonin and the Immune System Therapeutic Potential in Cancer, Viral Diseases, and Immunodeficiency States

2001 ◽  
pp. 384-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georges J. M. Maestroni

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saumya Singh ◽  
Prithwish Kola ◽  
Dalveer Kaur ◽  
Gisha Singla ◽  
Vibhu Mishra ◽  
...  

Nowadays, despite enormous scientific advances, viral diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity worldwide, and their potential to spread is escalating, eventually turning into pandemics. Nutrition can play a major role in supporting the immune system of the body and for the optimal functioning of the cells of the immune system. A healthy diet encompassing vitamins, multi-nutrient supplements, functional foods, nutraceuticals, and probiotics can play a pivotal role in combating several viral invasions in addition to strengthening the immune system. This review provides comprehensive information on diet-based scientific recommendations, evidence, and worldwide case studies in light of the current pandemic and also with a particular focus on virus-induced respiratory tract infections. After reviewing the immune potential of nutraceuticals based on the lab studies and on human studies, it was concluded that bioactive compounds such as nutraceuticals, vitamins, and functional foods (honey, berries, etc.) with proven antiviral efficacy, in addition to pharmaceutical medication or alone as dietary supplements, can prove instrumental in treating a range of virus-induced infections in addition to strengthening the immune system. Milk proteins and peptides can also act as adjuvants for the design of more potent novel antiviral drugs.



2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan A. Alhazmi ◽  
Asim Najmi ◽  
Sadique A. Javed ◽  
Shahnaz Sultana ◽  
Mohammed Al Bratty ◽  
...  

Plants have been extensively studied since ancient times and numerous important chemical constituents with tremendous therapeutic potential are identified. Attacks of microorganisms including viruses and bacteria can be counteracted with an efficient immune system and therefore, stimulation of body’s defense mechanism against infections has been proven to be an effective approach. Polysaccharides, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, and lactones are the important phytochemicals, reported to be primarily responsible for immunomodulation activity of the plants. These phytochemicals may act as lead molecules for the development of safe and effective immunomodulators as potential remedies for the prevention and cure of viral diseases. Natural products are known to primarily modulate the immune system in nonspecific ways. A number of plant-based principles have been identified and isolated with potential immunomodulation activity which justify their use in traditional folklore medicine and can form the basis of further specified research. The aim of the current review is to describe and highlight the immunomodulation potential of certain plants along with their bioactive chemical constituents. Relevant literatures of recent years were searched from commonly employed scientific databases on the basis of their ethnopharmacological use. Most of the plants displaying considerable immunomodulation activity are summarized along with their possible mechanisms. These discussions shall hopefully elicit the attention of researchers and encourage further studies on these plant-based immunomodulation products as potential therapy for the management of infectious diseases, including viral ones such as COVID-19.



2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (46) ◽  
pp. 4893-4913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan Cao ◽  
Jie Liu ◽  
Bing-Xian Sha ◽  
Hai-Feng Pan

: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, elusive disorder resulting in relapsing inflammation of intestine with incompletely elucidated etiology, whose two representative forms are ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Accumulating researches have revealed that the individual genetic susceptibility, environmental risk elements, intestinal microbial flora, as well as innate and adaptive immune system are implicated in the pathogenesis and development of IBD. Despite remarkable progression of IBD therapy has been achieved by chemical drugs and biological therapies such as aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, antibiotics, anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, anti-integrin agents, etc., healing outcome still cannot be obtained, along with inevitable side effects. Consequently, a variety of researches have focused on exploring new therapies, and found that natural products (NPs) isolated from herbs or plants may serve as promising therapeutic agents for IBD through antiinflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-fibrotic and anti-apoptotic effects, which implicates the modulation on nucleotide- binding domain (NOD) like receptor protein (NLRP) 3 inflammasome, gut microbiota, intestinal microvascular endothelial cells, intestinal epithelia, immune system, etc. In the present review, we will summarize the research development of IBD pathogenesis and current mainstream therapy, as well as the therapeutic potential and intrinsic mechanisms of NPs in IBD.



2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 288-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Zhou ◽  
Luyao Ao ◽  
Yunyi Yan ◽  
Wanting Li ◽  
Anqi Ye ◽  
...  

Background: Some of the current challenges and complications of cancer therapy are chemotherapy- induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and the neuropathic pain that are associated with this condition. Many major chemotherapeutic agents can cause neurotoxicity, significantly modulate the immune system and are always accompanied by various adverse effects. Recent evidence suggests that cross-talk occurs between the nervous system and the immune system during treatment with chemotherapeutic agents; thus, an emerging concept is that neuroinflammation is one of the major mechanisms underlying CIPN, as demonstrated by the upregulation of chemokines. Chemokines were originally identified as regulators of peripheral immune cell trafficking, and chemokines are also expressed on neurons and glial cells in the central nervous system. Objective: In this review, we collected evidence demonstrating that chemokines are potential mediators and contributors to pain signalling in CIPN. The expression of chemokines and their receptors, such as CX3CL1/CX3CR1, CCL2/CCR2, CXCL1/CXCR2, CXCL12/CXCR4 and CCL3/CCR5, is altered in the pathological conditions of CIPN, and chemokine receptor antagonists attenuate neuropathic pain behaviour. Conclusion: By understanding the mechanisms of chemokine-mediated communication, we may reveal chemokine targets that can be used as novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of CIPN.



2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Lin ◽  
Henry C. Lin

The gut virome consists of a large population of eukaryotic and prokaryotic viruses that have an emerging role in human health and disease. Growing evidence for the importance of the virome includes recent findings on fecal virome transplantation (FVT) that suggest FVT may have therapeutic potential for the resolution of dysbiosis and treatment of dysbiosis-related disorders. Most viruses in the gut virome are bacteriophages (phages), which have a well-established role in regulating bacterial communities across environments. Phages also influence health and disease by interacting directly with the host immune system. The full extent to which gut phages should be considered as both a target and a tool for microbiome modulation remains to be seen. This chapter will explore the current understanding of the gut virome and the therapeutic potential for FVT.



Author(s):  
Meghit Boumediene Khaled ◽  
Nada Benajiba

The immune system is involved in the protection of host against environmental agents such as pathogenic micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi, and viruses) and chemicals, thereby preserving the integrity of the body. To preserve organism defense mechanisms, adequate nutritional status should be maintained with appropriate intakes of calories, vitamins, minerals and water that should be continuously provided by a healthy diet. The emergence of new infectious diseases with new pathogenic properties constitutes a serious health issue worldwide. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) represents one of the most recent emerging infectious diseases, caused by a novel coronavirus member called (SARS-CoV-2), identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China in December 2019, and recognized as pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The nutritional status of each COVID-19-infected patient should be assessed prior undertaking treatments. Nutritional support should be the basis of management of any infected individual. However, prevention measures remain the first priority and strategy to develop throughout proper hygiene, healthy diet and staying home. Keywords: Nutrition, Immune system, Viral diseases, SARS-CoV-2.



Author(s):  
И.Ю. Малышев ◽  
Л.В. Кузнецова ◽  
О.П. Буданова

В обзоре представлены современные данные о механизмах диагностики, планирования и оценки успешности терапии различных заболеваний с помощью экзосом, об использовании их как нанопереносчиков (т.е. нановезикул для эффективной доставки молекул). За последние годы разработано большое количество разных, в основном синтетических, систем доставки лекарственных средств, недостатками этих систем является плохая биосовместимость и органическая неспособность к высокоточной доставке загруженных веществ. По сравнению с синтетическими системами доставки лекарственных средств, экзосомы - вследствие своего естественного происхождения - могут обладать большими преимуществами, такими, как лучшая биосовместимость и повышенная устойчивость к разрушительному воздействию иммунной системы. Описана технология производства наноструктур, разработка и производство с помощью бионанотехнологий так называемых «полностью синтетических экзосомоподобных нановезикул», преимущества и недостатки этих методов. This review presents current data on mechanisms for diagnosis, planning, and evaluation of success in the treatment of various diseases using exosomes as nanocarriers (i.e., nanovesicles for efficient delivery of molecules). In recent years, a large number of different, mainly synthetic drug delivery systems has been developed. Disadvantages of these systems are poor biocompatibility and organic inability to deliver high-precision loaded substances. Compared with synthetic drug delivery systems, exosomes due to their natural origin may provide great advantages, such as better biocompatibility and increased resistance to detrimental effects of the immune system. This review describes in detail a technology of nanostructure production, the development and production of so-called fully synthetic exosome-like nanovesicles using bionanotechnology, and advantages and disadvantages of these methods.



Author(s):  
Sidra Munir

When the antioxidants in our immune system cannot neutralize or convert Reactive oxygen species into safe molecules at the rate at which it is produced then this imbalance is termed as “oxidative stress”. It is related with a wide array of diseases that includes cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension etc. These ROS species however are utmost essential for the proper functioning of human body which are produced as a consequence of partial oxidation of cellular metabolism performing essential functions such as protein phosphorylation, activation of several transcriptional factors, apoptosis, immunity, and differentiation. The sources by which these are produced can be broadly classified are intrinsic and extrinsic sources. There are variety of natural antioxidant enzymes of human body that combat against this oxidative stress. The extrinsic sources of ROS include the use of natural plants, extracted flavonoids and vitamins. In this review we will briefly explain how the sources of ROS, its essential function in human body, its elevation and associated damage to organs and effect on various diseases, and a hope of finding a way of how this oxidative stress can be exploited for therapeutic potential.



2007 ◽  
Vol 204 (8) ◽  
pp. 1911-1922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsin-Jung Wu ◽  
Heloisa Sawaya ◽  
Bryce Binstadt ◽  
Margot Brickelmaier ◽  
Amanda Blasius ◽  
...  

Unmethylated CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) are generally thought of as potent adjuvants with considerable therapeutic potential to enhance immune responses against microbes and tumors. Surprisingly, certain so-called stimulatory CpG-ODNs strongly inhibited the effector phase of inflammatory arthritis in the K/BxN serum transfer system, either preventively or therapeutically. Also unexpected was that the inhibitory influence did not depend on the adaptive immune system cells mobilized in an immunostimulatory context. Instead, they relied on cells of the innate immune system, specifically on cross talk between CD8α+ dendritic cells and natural killer cells, resulting in suppression of neutrophil recruitment to the joint, orchestrated through interleukin-12 and interferon-γ. These findings highlight potential applications of CpG-ODNs and downstream molecules as antiinflammatory agents.



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