Modulation of Immune Function by Intestinal Neuropeptides

Nutritional modulation of immune function.

The inflammatory response to injury and infection, although an essential part of immune function, carries the risk of severe tissue depletion and immunosuppression. These outcomes increase morbidity and delay recovery. Evidence is accumulating that single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the genes controlling pro-inflammatory cytokine production adversely influence the response. Immunonutrition prov...

Modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis.

Despite the almost universal clinical observation that inflammation of the gut is frequently associated with inflammation of the joints and vice versa, the nature of this relationship remains elusive. In the present review, we provide evidence for how the interaction of dietary lectins with enterocytes and lymphocytes may facilitate the translocation of both dietary and gut-derived pathogenic a...

Human plasmacytoid dendritic cell function: inhibition of IFN-alpha secretion and modulation of immune phenotype by vasoactive intestinal peptide.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDC) are considered the main sentinels against viral infections and play a major role in immune tolerance. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a potent immunomodulator, whose role in PDC function is unknown. The present study was designed to investigate whether human PDC express VIP receptors and whether VIP has immunological effects on PDC. Using real-time RT-P...

Epigenetic modulation of the immune function

Great efforts in the field of solid organ transplantation are being devoted to identifying biomarkers that allow a transplanted patient's immune status to be established. Recently, it has been well documented that epigenetic mechanisms like DNA methylation and histone modifications regulate the expression of immune system-related genes, modifying the development of the innate and adaptive immun...

Human Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Function: Inhibition of IFN- Secretion and Modulation of Immune Phenotype by Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide