EditorialImpact of Nutritional and Environmental Factors onInflammation, Oxidative Stress, and the Microbiome

Gang Liu ,1 Yan Huang ,2 and Lidong Zhai 3

1Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes inSubtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Engineering Laboratory forPollution Control and Waste Utilization in Livestock and Poultry Production, Changsha, Hunan 410125, China2Department of Animal Science, Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR72701, USA3Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China

Correspondence should be addressed to Yan Huang; yxh010@uark.edu

Received 12 June 2018; Accepted 12 June 2018; Published 31 July 2018

Copyright © 2018 Gang Liu et al.This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, whichpermits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Studies suggest that active inflammatory response and oxida-tive stress are the most prominent symptoms suffered bypatients with metabolic diseases. Meanwhile, the gut hostsa complex community of microorganisms which are highlyassociated with human physiology, metabolism, and immunestatus; the effect of gut microbiota in health and diseasesbecomes clear.

Growing evidence indicates that nutrients and environ-mental factors are tightly associated with the generation ofreactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species(RNS), oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and gutmicrobiome. Meanwhile, nutritional factors such as certainnatural compounds and nutraceuticals may protect cells fromoxidative/endoplasmic reticulum stress and thus ameliorateoxidative/endoplasmic reticulum stress-related diseases viachanging of the microbiota. In this way, nutritional factorsor molecules perform a vital function in repairing metabolicdisorders that result from oxidative/endoplasmic reticulumstress. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying the roleof environmental and nutritional factors on regulation ofinflammation, oxidative/endoplasmic reticulum stress, andthe microbiome in chronic diseases remain largely unex-ploited and unclear.

In our special issue, opened for 7 months from Sep 2017to March 2018, focus on the evidences of recent researchesrelated to natural compounds and environmental factors inregulation of oxidative/endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Maternal obesity or overnutrition may have a long-termeffect on the health of offspring. L. Montalvo-Mart́ınez etal. reviewed the recent advances on the effects of high-calorie nutrient fetal programming on central and periph-eral inflammation and the behaviors of offspring addiction.Maternal overnutrition can cause neuronal gene expressionprograms to be set in the fetus. Selective intake of a dietrich in fats and sugars at key stages recruits markers ofcentral and peripheral inflammatory cell types, thereby dis-rupting energy-sensing and behavioral pathways, increasingsusceptibility, and exhibiting abnormal behavior similar toaddiction. Through selective epigenetic activation in fetalprogramming, the addiction phenotype may be inheritedtransgenerationally.

9,10-Phenanthrenequinone (9,10-PQ) is a terpenemolecule found in a large amount of air pollution in dieselexhaust particles (DEP) and has been shown to producecytotoxicity both in vitro and in vivo. M. Yang et al. reviewedthe latest research progress on 9,10-PQ and summarized that9,10-PQ plays a key role in the development of cytotoxicitythrough the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS)through redox cycling, with particular emphasis on themechanisms that may be involved. Understanding thepotential cellular mechanisms involved in cytotoxicity mayallow the development of therapeutics aimed at targetingspecific molecules that are significantly implicated in9,10-PQ-induced ROS toxicity.

HindawiBioMed Research InternationalVolume 2018, Article ID 5606845, 3 pageshttps://doi.org/10.1155/2018/5606845

2 BioMed Research International

B.Mkhize et al. did an interesting cross-sectional study onthe use of prealbumin as a tool for nutritional assessment inadults coinfected with HIV and intestinal helminth parasitesin KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. They found that, in thepresence or absence of inflammation in various BMI cate-gories, prealbumin can distinguish between inflammation-induced albumin reduction and real malnutrition in adultsindividually or coinfected with HIV and intestinal worms,indicated by elevated and normal C-reactive protein (CRP)levels. Despite the small sample size of this experiment, it maynot be possible to confirm the significant correlation betweenBMI, prealbumin, and albumin changes. A deep samplingstudy with a random sample design and a large sample sizelongitudinal queue can be considered.

S. Li et al. investigated the effect of cyclic tensile strain(CTS) on the function of Schwann cells (SCs) derived fromthe sciatic nerves of the newly born rat. The number andproliferation of SCs increase and the SCs display strongpolarity after 5 CTS.The results also showed 5%CTS reducednetrin gene expression and increased NGF, GDNF, and Slit-2 gene expression (P<0.05). These indicate that CTS maylead to the effective stimulation of SCs and cytoskeletonremodeling due to a related inducement in the upregulationof nerve-oriented factors expression.

Diacetyl is a flavoring that imparts buttery taste tofood; however, the intake may be toxic. L. D. L. Jedlicka etal. performed a target metabolomics analysis of male andfemale C57/B1 mice with oral diacetyl by UPLC-MS/MSusing Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography with TripleQuadrupole Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Most testsshowed differences between control and treatment groupsand between genders, indicating that sex hormones areinvolved in the regulation of the normalmetabolic profile andthe response to metabolite diseases.

An interesting study by S. Wang et al. described thatthis research aimed to investigate the effect of the bioac-tive substance secreted by mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-CM) on vascular calcification. The vascular smooth mus-cle cell (VSMC) calcification model was induced by 𝛽-glycerophosphate (𝛽-GP) and treated by MSC-CM. Thecalcium deposition, intracellular calcium contents, alkalinephosphatase (ALP) activity, and the expression of specific-osteogenic markers, inflammatory cytokines, and apoptosis-associated genes/proteins of VSMCs were assessed. Treat-ment with MSC-CM significantly reduced calcium deposi-tion seen on alizarin red and Von Kossa staining and intracel-lular calcium contents, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity,and the expression of specific-osteogenic markers. Further-more, MSC-CM also suppressed the expression of inflam-matory cytokines and apoptosis-associated genes/proteins.MSC-CM could be a potential novel clinical treatment ofvascular calcification.

Oxidative stress (OS) plays a key role in the pathogenesisand development of IBD. G. Guan and S. Lan reviewedthe production of reactive oxygen species and antioxidantdefense mechanisms in the gastrointestinal tract and therole of OS in the pathogenesis and development of labeledIBD, demonstrating various pathways associated with OSand genetic susceptibility and mucosal immune responses.

Current clinical studies and experimental anti-IBD therapies,especially those that include naturally occurring antioxidants,correlate with positive IBD and colorectal cancer patientresults. Antioxidant activity characterized by high levels ofspecificity may be the basis for the development of clinicaltreatment and relapsed IBD patients. With the introductionof new antioxidant-enhancing interventions, coupled withthe management of traditional medicines, it is expected thatIBD patients will benefit from significantly more favorableresults from further clinical trials.

A review article written by Md. A. K. Azad et al. focusedon gut microbiota, its modulation with the change in dietand nutrients, and the adverse effects of gut modulation onhost health while gut modulation actions of probiotics (Lac-tobacillus,Bifidobacterium, and other bacteria species, mainlyEscherichia coli and Enterococcus) in various diseases models.Probiotic bacterial species are reported to have significantroles, like improvement in digestion and immune system,synthesis of B vitamin, promotion of angiogenesis, andnerve system along with alteration in several degenerativediseases, like cardiovascular disease, cancer, malignancy, type2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, colitis, asthma, and psychiatricand inflammatory disorders.

A. Emamverdian et al. described silicon (Si) mechanismsto ameliorate heavy metal stress in plants. They have shownthat Si involved in the alleviation process in plants exposedto abiotic stresses and heavy metals in some importantmechanisms, including (1) reduction of heavy metal uptakeby plant, (2) change in pH value in soil and plant culture,(3) formation of Si heavy metal, and (4) stimulation ofenzyme activities. Through these mechanisms Si alleviatedand reduced uptake heavy metal and its transport in plants,changed pH of soil and growth medium, decreased thetoxicity, and increased antioxidant activities. These findingscould be a resourceful reference for future research.

T. Liu et al. described a study that aimed to investigate theeffects of leucine supplementation in premating diet on thereproductive performance, maternal antioxidative capability,and immune function in primiparous rats. Leucine supple-mentation decreased significantly within-litter birth weightvariation and improved the embryo distribution uniformityand the number of implantation sites in uterine comparedwith control group. Moreover, leucine treatment showed theupregulated effect on the expression of LHR, CYP19A1, andVEGFA but decreased the expression ofMucin-1. In addition,leucine enhanced the maternal antioxidant capacity andimmune function. Those results demonstrated that leucinesupplementation may improve the reproductive performanceby improving oxidative and immune status.

S. Liu et al. described that the antioxidative function ofalpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) and its applications. The reviewconcluded that AKG had alleviative effect on oxidative stressby two pathways, whichwere antioxidative enzymes activitiesand nonenzymatic oxidative decarboxylation in hydrogenperoxide decomposition, respectively. In fact, AKG mainlyacted as a source of energy and an antioxidant in theprocess of antioxidation. Additionally, AKG developed itsantioxidative functions on various clinical diseases in animalsand humans, such as burns, trauma, postoperative recovery,

BioMed Research International 3

and aged diseases. Furthermore, it also raised that whetherAKG could directly activate Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway toalleviate oxidative stress or not. The review well summarizedthe antioxidative function of AKG and provided a goodreference for AKG in practical applications in animals andhumans.

L. Yang et al. described the fact that proanthocyanidins(PCs) could be used against oxidative stress (OS); PCshave been found to prevent OS damage by downregulatingthe reactive oxygen species (ROS) and OS-induced DNAdamage and promoted DNA repair by different pathways:(i) scavenging oxidative species (e.g., ROS and RNS) andfree radicals, thereby disturbing direct OS damage andredox chain reactions, (ii) enhancing the functions of DNArepair enzymes, (ii) dose-dependent inhibiting cyclobutanepyridine dimers (CPD) formation, (iv) rapidly repairingCPDs through the induction of IL-12, (v) promoting thenucleotide excision repair mechanism, and (vi) inhibitingDNA hypomethylation; they reduced lipid peroxidation andmodulated different signaling pathways (e.g., MAPK, NF-QB,Nrf2, and PI3k/Akt) involved in OS. Finally, PCs could bereadily affordable without side effects compared with othersynthetic compounds against OS.

F. He et al. reviewed the functions and signaling mech-anisms of amino acids in intestinal inflammation. Aminoacids, including essential amino acids (EAAs), conditionallyessential amino acids (CEAAs), and nonessential aminoacids (NEAAs), improve the functions of intestinal barrier,increase expressions of anti-inflammatory cytokines, andtight junction proteins but decrease oxidative stress andthe apoptosis of enterocytes as well as the expressions ofproinflammatory cytokines in the intestinal inflammation.The functions of amino acids in intestinal inflammation areassociated with various signaling pathways, including mech-anistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), inducible nitric oxidesynthase (iNOS), calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), nuclearfactor-kappa-B (NF-𝜅B), mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK), nuclear erythroid-related factor 2 (Nrf2), generalcontrolled nonrepressed kinase 2 (GCN2), and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

P. Huang et al. described a significant decrease in theseverity of hepatic inflammation and ameliorated hepaticfibrosis in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) rats, viathe pathological examination and real-time quantitativePCR detecting system (QPCR), after the treatment of anovel liver-specific liver X receptor (LXR) inverse agonist,SR9243. SR9243 treatment significantly decreased liver fibro-sis induced by bile-duct ligation (BDL) and carbon tetrachlo-ride (CCL4) in NASH rats and exerted a certain inhibitoryeffect on the level of insulin, total cholesterol, increased liverenzymes, and the level of CD68, TNF-𝛼, IL-1𝛽, and IL-6which can increase hepatic inflammatory injury. The resultof this article shows a significant therapeutic potential intreating NASH with LXR inverse agonist SR9243.

D. Zhu et al. described melatonin (MEL) impact on theantioxidant capacity and intestinal bacteria community in5% DSS-induced mouse model. MEL treatment improvedsignificantly the antioxidant capability in relative to the DSSgroup. In addition, Bacteroidetes were the most abundant

phylum in the DSS group (58.93%), followed by Firmicuteswith 31.46% and Proteobacteria with 7.97%. In contrast, Fir-micutes were the most abundant in the MEL group (49.48%),followed by Bacteroidetes with 41.63% and Proteobacteriawith 7.50%. But there no differences between two groups indiversity index, bacterial culture abundance, and coverage.This study indicated that melatonin could improve internalhealth by enhancing oxidative stress resistance and amelio-rating intestinal microbial flora.

W. Song et al. described the fact that the aim of thisstudy was to determine the effects of ethanol extract ofUlva prolifera (EUP) on insulin tolerance, inflammatorycytokines secretion, and oxidative status in high-fat-diet-(HFD-) treated mice; EUP supplementation protected micefrom HFD-induced body weight gain and improved glucosesensitivity and insulin resistance. Additionally, EUP supple-mentation lowered reactive oxygen species concentration,while enhancing glutathione level and glutathione peroxidaseactivity in HFD-treated mice; this study suggested thatEUP might have the potential effects on the prevention ofmetabolic disease.

P. Bin et al. described that the oxidation resistance ofmethionine and cysteine, two of the most representative sul-fur amino acids. Methionine exerted its antioxidant capacityby methionine residues and SAM. Methionine residues areprone to be oxidized by diversified forms of ROS, and SAMincreases the activity of enzyme increasing the GSH level.Similar to the methionine, cysteine exerted its antioxidantcapacity by cysteine residues and its metabolites (GSH, H

2S,

and taurine), cysteine residues are easily reacted with H2O

2,

and the products of cysteine are reported to alleviate oxidantstress induced by various oxidants and protect the tissue fromthe damage.

In conclusion, we expect that our special issue updatesscientific reports in current research and presents usefulthoughts for the readers.

Acknowledgments

We are thankful to all the authors for their excellent work andcontributions. We also express our thanks to the reviewersand the editorial office for their time and consideration forsubmitted manuscripts in this special issue. The guest editorteam would like to thank the editorial office for the approvalon the topic of the special issue.Wehope this special issuewillbring some helpful thought and references to the readers.

Gang LiuYan HuangLidong Zhai

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