The Role of Nutritional Modulation of Immune Function in Cancer – What About It?

Main Article Content

João Vasco Barreira Pedro Barreira Mariana Amaral José Leão Mendes Catarina Ribeiro

Abstract

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of new cases of cancer. Malnutrition in cancer patients is a consequence of the increase in inflammatory cytokines associated with cancer, metabolic alterations, and concomitant inadequate availability of nutrients, due to anorexia caused by the disease and systemic treatments. Nutrition can guide both the growth and progress of inflammatory disorders and their prevention and treatment. Irrevocably, it is indispensable to pair the diet with physical activity, balance nutritional status and prime a healthy lifestyle. An increased understanding of the instruments linked to nutrients and the immune system is a breathtaking and exceptional field for the future. The gut microbiota is now known as a fundamental factor disturbing the host´s anti-cancer immunosurveillance and capacity to respond to immunotherapy. Diet is one of the most powerful modulators of microbiota, and therefore nutritional intervention could be used to increase host anti-cancer immunity. A rising body of data has also highlighted that the gut microbiota may have a constructive impact on cancer prevention or treatment, particularly via improved host immunosurveillance of cancer as well as patients ‘capacity to respond to chemotherapy or immunotherapy. The sway of nutrition on the immune system is a territory that remains under investigation. Nutrition and immunity are closely related. An expanded understanding of the mechanisms connected to nutrients and the immune system is a breathtaking and gifted field for the future.

Article Details

How to Cite
BARREIRA, João Vasco et al. The Role of Nutritional Modulation of Immune Function in Cancer – What About It?. Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 11, n. 6, june 2023. ISSN 2375-1924. Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/4038>. Date accessed: 09 nov. 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v11i6.4038.
Section
Research Articles

References

1. The Global Cancer Observatory, Globocan 2018 – All rights reserved.
2. João Vasco Barreira (2020): The Role of Nutrition in Cancer Patients, Nutrition and Cancer, DOI:10.1080/01635581.2020.1839519
3. Grimble RF (1998a) Nutritional modulation of cytokine biology. Nutrition 14, 634.640.
4. Arnalich F, Garcia-Palomero E, Lopez J, Jiminez M, Madero R, Renart J, Vazquez JJ & Montiel C (2000) Predictive value of nuclear factor kappaB activity and plasma cytokine levels in patients with sepsis. Infection and Immunity 68, 1942.1945.
5. Albers R, Bourdet-Sicard R, Braun D, Calder PC, Herz U, Lambert C, et al. Monitoring immune modulation by nutrition in the general population: identifying and substantiating effects on human health. Br J Nutr. 2013;110:S1-30.
6. Soldati L, Di Renzo L, Jirillo E, Ascierto PA, Marincola FM, De Lorenzo A. The influence of diet on anti-cancer immune responsiveness. J Transl Med. 2018;16:75.
7. Fraker P. Impact of nutritional status on immune integrity. In: Nutrition and Immunology. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press; 2000. p.147-56.
8. De Rosa V, Di Rella F, Di Giacomo A, Matarese G. Regulatory T cells as suppressors of anti-tumor immunity: role of metabolism. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. 2017;35:15e25.
9. Nancie J. MacIver Nutritional effects on T-cell immunometabolism. Eur J Immunol. 2017;47(2):225e235.
10. Krishnaiah Saikumari Y, Wu Gang, Altman Brian J, et al. Clock regulation of metabolites reveals coupling between transcription and metabolism. Cell Metabol. 2017;25(4):961e974.
11. Sivan A, Corrales L, Hubert N, Williams JB, Aquino-Michaels K, Earley ZM, et al. Commensal bifidobacterium promotes antitumor immunity and facilitates anti-PD-L1 efficacy. Science(2015) 350(6264):1084–9. doi: 10.1126/science.aac4255.
12. Zitvogel L, Ayyoub M, Routy B, Kroemer G. Microbiome and anticancer immunosurve- illance. Cell (2016) 165(2):276-87.
doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.03.001.
13. Routy B, Le Chatelier E, Derosa L, Duong CPM, Alou MT, Daillère R, et al. Gut microbiome influences efficacy of PD-1–based immunotherapy against epithelial tumors. Science (2017) 359(6371):91–7. doi: 10.1126/science.aan3706.
14. Matson V, Fessler J, Bao R, Chongsuwat T, Zha Y, Alegre M-L, et al. The commensal microbiome is associated with anti-PD-1 efficacy in metastatic melanoma patients. Science(2018) 359(6371):104–8. doi: 10.1126/science.aao3290.
15. Chandra RK. Nutrition and the immune system: an introduction. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;66:460S-3.
16. Wu D, Lewis ED, Pae M and Meydani SN (2019) Nutritional Modulation of Immune Function: Analysis of Evidence, Mechanisms, and Clinical Relevance. Front. Immunol. 9:3160. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.03160
17. Koch S, Nusrat A. The life and death of epithelia during inflammation: lessons learned from the gut. Annu Rev Patho. (2012) 7:35-60. DOI:10.1146/annurev-pathol-011811- 120905.
18. Minihane AM, Vinoy S, Russell WR, Baka A, Roche HM, Tuohy KM, et al. Low-grade inflammation, diet composition and health: current research evidence and its translation. Br J Nutr. 2015; 114:999-1012.
19. Ostan R, Lanzarini C, Pini E, Scurti M, Vianello D, Bertarelli C, et al. Inflammaging and cancer: a challenge for the Mediterranean diet. Nutrients. 2015;7:2589-621.
20. De Almeida CV, de Camargo MR, Russo E, Amedei A. Role of diet and gut microbiota on colorectal cancer immunomodulation. World J Gastroenterol. 2018;25:151-62.