Polyphenols: Plant Sources and Food Industry Applications.

BACKGROUND: Numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated the association between (poly)phenol-rich foods and human health. Growing consumer knowledge of the relationship between diet, good health and disease prevention stimulated manufacturing opportunities. Functional foods and their synergistic health benefits, beyond just being a source of individual nutrients, are highly demanded by consumers. OBJECTIVE: Therefore, the aim of this study was to review available literature focusing on the nutraceutical role of (poly)phenols, and role in functional foods production, with a specific focus on (poly)phenols derived from byproducts. RESULTS: The review of the literature showed that antioxidant extracted from residual sources could prevent lipid peroxidation and protect against oxidative damage by scavenging oxygen radicals, and therefore contribute to the longer stability of foods, be used for increasing the stability of foods. These effects may also translate to humans, improving the effects on health of certain foods. CONCLUSION: However, careful monitoring of production is needed in order to maximize the (poly)phenol content of plant foods.

Analysis of the Ser786Pro interleukin-4 receptor alpha allelic variant in allergic and nonallergic asthma and its functional consequences.

Asthma and other atopic disorders affect a large percentage of the population. While many factors contribute to the phenotype of asthma, there is a strong genetic predisposition. IL-4 is a central mediator of allergic inflammation. Along with IL-13, it is the major cytokine responsible for the induction of IgE synthesis. Furthermore, IL-4 acts on Th0 cells and promotes their differentiation into Th2 cells resulting in the production of more IL-4 and IL-13, thereby propagating the allergic cascade. Both IL-4 and IL-13 utilize IL-4Ralpha as a component of their cognate receptor complexes. Eight polymorphisms of the IL-4Ralpha gene resulting in amino acid changes in the coding sequence have been described, and several have been associated with asthma. The central objective of this study was to elucidate the role of the Ser786Pro polymorphism in asthma and its impact on IL-4R function. One-hundred ninety-six individuals with asthma and 53 controls were genotyped for Pro786. Pro786 occurred infrequently in the general population with an allele frequency of 1.8% and, thus, is unlikely to play a major role in atopy or asthma. The Pro786 allele frequency was 1.5% in the asthma group and 2.8% in the control group. The asthma group was subdivided into allergic and nonallergic asthma, and the Pro786 allele frequencies were 1.7 and 1.0%, respectively. The data suggested linkage disequilibrium between Ser786Pro and the Gln576Arg allele, which is associated with atopy. In order to study the impact of the polymorphism on receptor signaling function, we transfected a mouse B lymphoma cell line with the wild-type and Pro786 variants of human IL-4Ralpha. The Ser786Pro polymorphism in isolation did not affect IL-4R function.

The R576 IL-4 receptor alpha allele correlates with asthma severity.

BACKGROUND: Atopic disorders, including asthma, are very prevalent, affecting up to 40% of populations, and their incidence is on the rise. Although environmental factors are important in the development of atopy, there is a strong genetic predisposition. Several genes and chromosomal regions have been linked to atopy and asthma, supporting the polygenic nature of these disorders. IL-4 and IL-13 are T(H)2 cytokines with numerous activities that contribute to allergic inflammation and asthma. Both IL-4 and IL-13 use the IL-4 receptor alpha chain (IL-4Ralpha) as a component of their respective receptor systems. Allelic variants of IL-4Ralpha have been reported, and the R576IL-4Ralpha allele was recently shown to be a risk factor for atopy. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether the R576 allele was associated with the prevalence or clinical severity of asthma. METHODS: We developed a rapid, reliable, PCR-based assay to screen individuals for the R576IL-4Ralpha allele and used this assay to genotype prospectively recruited individuals with asthma (n = 149) and control subjects (n = 57). RESULTS: There was a strong association of R576IL-4Ralpha with the prevalence and clinical severity of asthma. In a prospective cohort, homozygosity for R576 was significantly increased in individuals with asthma (n = 149, P =.03; relative risk 8.2) compared with controls (n = 57). Furthermore, 1 or 2 copies R576IL-4Ralpha correlated with asthma severity establishing a genotype-phenotype relationship and suggesting a gene dosage effect. CONCLUSIONS: Thus R576IL-4Ralpha acts as an allergic asthma susceptibility and disease-modifying gene and may serve as a clinically useful marker of asthma severity.