1 5540 115 ROLE OF DIET AND GUT MICROBIOTA ON COLORECTAL CANCER IMMUNOMODULATION. COLORECTAL CANCER (CRC) IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMONLY DIAGNOSED CANCERS, AND IT IS CHARACTERIZED BY GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, AS WELL AS BY INFLAMMATORY CELL INFILTRATION AMONG MALIGNANT AND STROMAL CELLS. HOWEVER, THIS DYNAMIC INFILTRATION CAN BE INFLUENCED BY THE MICROENVIRONMENT TO PROMOTE TUMOR PROLIFERATION, SURVIVAL AND METASTASIS OR CANCER INHIBITION. IN PARTICULAR, THE CANCER MICROENVIRONMENT METABOLITES CAN REGULATE THE INFLAMMATORY CELLS TO INDUCE A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE THAT CAN BE A PREDISPOSING CONDITION FOR CRC RETENTION. IN ADDITION, SOME NUTRITIONAL COMPONENTS MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY CONDITION BY REGULATING VARIOUS IMMUNE AND INFLAMMATORY PATHWAYS. BESIDES THAT, DIET STRONGLY MODULATES THE GUT MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION, WHICH HAS A KEY ROLE IN MAINTAINING GUT HOMEOSTASIS AND IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MODULATION OF HOST INFLAMMATORY AND IMMUNE RESPONSES. THEREFORE, DIET HAS A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE IN CRC INITIATION, PROGRESSION AND PREVENTION. IN PARTICULAR, FUNCTIONAL FOODS SUCH AS PROBIOTICS, PREBIOTICS AND SYMBIOTICS CAN HAVE A POTENTIALLY POSITIVE EFFECT ON HEALTH BEYOND BASIC NUTRITION AND HAVE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS. IN THIS REVIEW, WE DISCUSS THE INFLUENCE OF DIET ON GUT MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION, FOCUSING ON ITS ROLE ON GUT INFLAMMATION AND IMMUNITY. FINALLY, WE DESCRIBE THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF USING PROBIOTICS AND PREBIOTICS TO MODULATE THE HOST INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE, AS WELL AS ITS APPLICATION IN CRC PREVENTION AND TREATMENT. 2019 2 1404 41 DIETARY COMPOSITION AND EFFECTS IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE. DRAMATIC CHANGES IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN LIFESTYLE HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE RISE OF VARIOUS CHRONIC COMPLEX DISEASES, SUCH AS INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD). A DYSBIOTIC GUT MICROBIOTA HAS BEEN PROPOSED AS A CRUCIAL PATHOGENIC ELEMENT, CONTRIBUTING TO IMMUNE IMBALANCES AND FOSTERING A PROINFLAMMATORY MILIEU, WHICH MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASE RELAPSES OR EVEN THE INITIATION OF IBD. IN ADDITION TO REPRESENTING IMPORTANT REGULATORS OF THE MUCOSAL IMMUNITY AND THE COMPOSITION OF THE GUT MICROBIOTA, FOOD COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. IN THE CONTEXT OF CHRONIC INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION, DIETARY HABITS AND SPECIFIC FOOD COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED AS IMPORTANT MODULATORS OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, INCLUDING DNA METHYLATION, WHICH MAY PREDISPOSE A PERSON TO THE INCREASED RISK OF THE INITIATION AND EVOLUTION OF IBD. THIS REVIEW PROVIDES NOVEL INSIGHTS ABOUT HOW DIETARY FACTORS MAY INTERACT WITH THE INTESTINAL MUCOSA AND MODULATE IMMUNE HOMEOSTASIS BY SHAPING THE INTESTINAL ECOSYSTEM, AS WELL AS THE POTENTIAL INFLUENCE OF DIET IN THE ETIOPATHOGENESIS AND MANAGEMENT OF IBD. 2019 3 3692 40 INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES: THE ROLE OF GUT MICROBIOTA. INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES (IBD) ARE CHRONIC MULTIFACTORIAL DISEASES CHARACTERIZED BY PARTIALLY UNCLEAR PATHOGENIC MECHANISMS INCLUDING CHANGES IN INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA. DESPITE THE MICROBIOTA, ALTERATION IS WELL ESTABLISHED IN IBD PATIENTS, AS REPORTED BY 16RNA SEQUENCING ANALYSIS, AN IMPORTANT GOAL IS TO DEFINE IF IT IS JUST A CONSEQUENCE OF THE DISEASE PROGRESSION OR A TRIGGER FACTOR OF THE DISEASE ITSELF. TO DATE, GUT MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION AND GUT MICROBIOTA-RELATED METABOLITES SEEM TO AFFECT THE HOST HEALTHY STATE BOTH BY MODULATING METABOLIC PATHWAYS OR ACTING ON THE EXPRESSION OF DIFFERENT GENES THROUGH EPIGENETIC EFFECTS. BECAUSE OF THIS, IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA MIGHT REPRESENT A PROMISING THERAPEUTIC TARGET FOR IBD PATIENTS. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW IS TO SUMMARIZE BOTH THE MOST RECENT ACQUISITIONS IN THE FIELD OF GUT MICROBIOTA AND ITS INVOLVEMENT IN INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION TOGETHER WITH THE AVAILABLE STRATEGIES FOR THE MODULATION OF MICROBIOTA, SUCH AS PREBIOTICS AND/OR PROBIOTICS ADMINISTRATION OR FECAL MICROBIOTA TRANSPLANTATION. 2020 4 3601 52 IMPORTANCE OF PROBIOTICS IN THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF COLORECTAL CANCER. COLORECTAL CANCER (CRC) REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON AND DEADLY CANCERS. INTESTINAL GUT MICROFLORA IS IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN AND CONTRIBUTES TO SEVERAL INTESTINAL FUNCTIONS, INCLUDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MUCOSAL IMMUNE SYSTEM, ABSORPTION OF COMPLEX MACROMOLECULES, SYNTHESIS OF AMINO ACIDS/VITAMINS AND THE PROTECTION AGAINST PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS. IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT THE GUT MICROBIOTA CHANGES OR DYSBIOSIS MAY HAVE AN ESSENTIAL IMPACT IN THE INITIATION AND PROMOTION OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY PATHWAYS AND ALSO HAVE A PROFOUND DIFFERENT GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS LEADING TO DYSPLASIA, CLONAL EXPANSION, AND MALIGNANT TRANSFORMATION. PROBIOTIC BACTERIA HAS ANTITUMOR ACTIVITY WITH VARIOUS MECHANISMS SUCH AS NONSPECIFIC PHYSIOLOGICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL MECHANISMS. THIS REVIEW EVALUATES THE EFFECTS OF MICROBIOTA AND PROBIOTICS IN CLINICAL TRIALS, IN VITRO AND ANIMAL MODEL STUDIES THAT HAVE EXPLORED HOW PROBIOTIC AGAINST CANCER DEVELOPMENT AND ALSO DISCUSSES THE POSSIBLE IMMUNOMODULATORY MECHANISMS. SEVERAL MECHANISMS ALTERATION OF THE INTESTINAL MICROFLORA; INACTIVATION OF CANCEROGENIC COMPOUNDS; COMPETITION WITH PUTREFACTIVE AND PATHOGENIC MICROBIOTA; IMPROVEMENT OF THE HOST'S IMMUNE RESPONSE; ANTIPROLIFERATIVE EFFECTS VIA REGULATION OF APOPTOSIS AND CELL DIFFERENTIATION; FERMENTATION OF UNDIGESTED FOOD; INHIBITION OF TYROSINE KINASE; REDUCES THE ENTEROPATHOGENIC COMPLICATIONS BEFORE AND AFTER COLON CANCER SURGERY AND IMPROVE DIARRHEA AND IT'S HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CREATE THE INTEGRITY OF GUT MUCOSAL AND HAVE STIMULATORY EFFECTS ON THE SYSTEMIC IMMUNE SYSTEM AND PREVENT THE CRC METASTASIS. RESEARCH IN CLINICAL TRIALS ENCOURAGING FINDINGS THAT SUPPORT A ROLE OF PROBIOTICS IN CRC PREVENTION AND IMPROVE THE SAFETY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF CANCER THERAPY EVEN THOUGH ADDITIONAL CLINICAL RESEARCH IS STILL NECESSARY. 2019 5 1400 33 DIET-REGULATING MICROBIOTA AND HOST IMMUNE SYSTEM IN LIVER DISEASE. THE GUT MICROBIOTA HAS BEEN KNOWN TO MODULATE THE IMMUNE RESPONSES IN CHRONIC LIVER DISEASES. RECENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT EFFECTS OF DIETARY FOODS ON HEALTH CARE AND HUMAN DISEASES ARE RELATED TO BOTH THE IMMUNE REACTION AND THE MICROBIOME. THE GUT-MICROBIOME AND INTESTINAL IMMUNE SYSTEM PLAY A CENTRAL ROLE IN THE CONTROL OF BACTERIAL TRANSLOCATION-INDUCED LIVER DISEASE. DYSBIOSIS, SMALL INTESTINAL BACTERIAL OVERGROWTH, TRANSLOCATION, ENDOTOXEMIA, AND THE DIRECT EFFECTS OF METABOLITES ARE THE MAIN EVENTS IN THE GUT-LIVER AXIS, AND IMMUNE RESPONSES ACT ON EVERY PATHWAYS OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE. MICROBIOME-DERIVED METABOLITES OR BACTERIA THEMSELVES REGULATE IMMUNE CELL FUNCTIONS SUCH AS RECOGNITION OR ACTIVATION OF RECEPTORS, THE CONTROL OF GENE EXPRESSION BY EPIGENETIC CHANGE, ACTIVATION OF IMMUNE CELLS, AND THE INTEGRATION OF CELLULAR METABOLISM. HERE, WE REVIEWED RECENT REPORTS ABOUT THE IMMUNOLOGIC ROLE OF GUT MICROBIOTAS IN LIVER DISEASE, HIGHLIGHTING THE ROLE OF DIET IN CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE. 2021 6 2617 49 EPIGENOME TARGETING BY PROBIOTIC METABOLITES. BACKGROUND: THE INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN IMMUNE DEVELOPMENT AND HOMEOSTASIS. A DISTURBED MICROBIOTA DURING EARLY INFANCY IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED RISK OF DEVELOPING INFLAMMATORY AND ALLERGIC DISEASES LATER IN LIFE. THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THESE EFFECTS ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD BUT ARE LIKELY TO INVOLVE ALTERATIONS IN MICROBIAL PRODUCTION OF FERMENTATION-DERIVED METABOLITES, WHICH HAVE POTENT IMMUNE MODULATING PROPERTIES AND ARE REQUIRED FOR MAINTENANCE OF HEALTHY MUCOSAL IMMUNE RESPONSES. PROBIOTICS ARE BENEFICIAL BACTERIA THAT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO ALTER THE COMPOSITION OF BACTERIAL SPECIES IN THE INTESTINE THAT CAN IN TURN INFLUENCE THE PRODUCTION OF FERMENTATION-DERIVED METABOLITES. PRINCIPAL AMONG THESE METABOLITES ARE THE SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS BUTYRATE AND ACETATE THAT HAVE POTENT ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITIES IMPORTANT IN REGULATING IMMUNE FUNCTION AT THE INTESTINAL MUCOSAL SURFACE. THEREFORE STRATEGIES AIMED AT RESTORING THE MICROBIOTA PROFILE MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN THE PREVENTION OR TREATMENT OF ALLERGIC AND INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. PRESENTATION OF THE HYPOTHESIS: PROBIOTIC BACTERIA HAVE DIVERSE EFFECTS INCLUDING ALTERING MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION, REGULATING EPITHELIAL CELL BARRIER FUNCTION AND MODULATING OF IMMUNE RESPONSES. THE PRECISE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS MEDIATING THESE PROBIOTIC EFFECTS ARE NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD. SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS SUCH AS BUTYRATE ARE A CLASS OF HISTONE DEACETYLASE INHIBITORS IMPORTANT IN THE EPIGENETIC CONTROL OF HOST CELL RESPONSES. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT THE BIOLOGICAL FUNCTION OF PROBIOTICS MAY BE A RESULT OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS THAT MAY EXPLAIN THE WIDE RANGE OF EFFECTS OBSERVED. STUDIES DELINEATING THE EFFECTS OF PROBIOTICS ON SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACID PRODUCTION AND THE EPIGENETIC ACTIONS OF SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS WILL ASSIST IN UNDERSTANDING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MICROBIOTA AND ALLERGIC OR AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS. TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS: WE PROPOSE THAT TREATMENT WITH SPECIFIC PROBIOTIC BACTERIA UNDER IN VIVO CONDITIONS WOULD OFFER THE IDEAL CONDITIONS TO EXAMINE THE MICROBIOLOGICAL, IMMUNOLOGICAL AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OF ACTION. ADVANCES IN EPIGENETIC TECHNOLOGY NOW ALLOW INVESTIGATORS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF PROBIOTICS AND THEIR METABOLITES. IMPLICATIONS OF THE HYPOTHESIS: DETERMINING THE PRECISE MECHANISMS OF PROBIOTIC ACTION WILL LEAD TO MORE SPECIFIC AND EFFICACIOUS THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES IN THE PREVENTION OR TREATMENT OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS. 2010 7 4273 41 MICROBIOTA AND EPIGENETICS: HEALTH IMPACT. EPIGENETIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSIONS ARE OF INCREASING IMPORTANCE BECAUSE OF THEIR POTENTIAL DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS. SEVERAL EPIGENETIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC METABOLIC DISORDERS HAVE BEEN STUDIED IN VARIOUS DISEASES. EPIGENETIC CHANGES ARE MOSTLY MODULATED BY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, INCLUDING THE HUMAN MICROBIOTA LIVING IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF OUR BODIES. THE MICROBIAL STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS AND THE MICROBIALLY DERIVED METABOLITES DIRECTLY INTERACT WITH HOST CELLS, THEREBY MAINTAINING HOMEOSTASIS. MICROBIOME DYSBIOSIS, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS KNOWN TO PRODUCE ELEVATED LEVELS OF DISEASE-LINKED METABOLITES, WHICH MAY DIRECTLY AFFECT A HOST METABOLIC PATHWAY OR INDUCE EPIGENETIC CHANGES THAT CAN LEAD TO DISEASE DEVELOPMENT. DESPITE THEIR IMPORTANT ROLE IN HOST PHYSIOLOGY AND SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION, THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE RESEARCH INTO THE MECHANICS AND PATHWAYS ASSOCIATED WITH EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. THIS CHAPTER FOCUSES ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MICROBES AND THEIR EPIGENETIC EFFECTS IN DISEASED PATHOLOGY, AS WELL AS ON THE REGULATION AND METABOLISM OF THE DIETARY OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO THE MICROBES. FURTHERMORE, THIS CHAPTER ALSO PROVIDES A PROSPECTIVE LINK BETWEEN THESE TWO IMPORTANT PHENOMENA, TERMED "MICROBIOME AND EPIGENETICS." 2023 8 1168 45 CONTRIBUTION OF EPITHELIAL AND GUT MICROBIOME INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF COLORECTAL CANCER PATIENTS' STRATIFICATION. IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT PRIMARY ENDPOINTS OF CLINICAL STUDIES ARE ATTAINED, THE PATIENTS' STRATIFICATION IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT. SELECTION CRITERIA INCLUDE AGE, GENDER, AND ALSO SPECIFIC BIOMARKERS, SUCH AS INFLAMMATION SCORES. THESE CRITERIA ARE NOT SUFFICIENT TO ACHIEVE A STRAIGHTFORWARD SELECTION, HOWEVER, IN CASE OF MULTIFACTORIAL DISEASES, WITH UNKNOWN OR PARTIALLY IDENTIFIED MECHANISMS, OCCASIONALLY INCLUDING HOST FACTORS, AND THE MICROBIOME. IN THESE CASES, THE EFFICACY OF INTERVENTIONS IS DIFFICULT TO PREDICT, AND AS A RESULT, THE SELECTION OF SUBJECTS IS OFTEN RANDOM. COLORECTAL CANCER (CRC) IS A HIGHLY HETEROGENEOUS DISEASE, WITH VARIABLE CLINICAL FEATURES, OUTCOMES, AND RESPONSE TO THERAPY; THE CRC ONSET AND PROGRESS INVOLVES MULTIPLE SEQUENTIAL STEPS WITH ACCUMULATION OF GENETIC ALTERATIONS, NAMELY, MUTATIONS, GENE AMPLIFICATION, AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES. THE GUT MICROBES, EITHER EUBIOTIC OR DYSBIOTIC, COULD INFLUENCE THE CRC EVOLUTION THROUGH A COMPLEX AND VERSATILE CROSSTALK WITH THE INTESTINAL AND IMMUNE CELLS, PERMANENTLY CHANGING THE TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT. THERE HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALIZED APPROACHES FOR CRC SCREENING, TREATMENT, AND POTENTIAL PREVENTION. ADVANCES IN MOLECULAR TECHNIQUES BRING NEW CRITERIA FOR PATIENTS' STRATIFICATION-MUTATIONAL ANALYSIS AT THE TIME OF DIAGNOSIS TO GUIDE TREATMENT, FOR EXAMPLE. GUT MICROBIOME HAS EMERGED AS THE MAIN TRIGGER OF GUT MUCOSAL HOMEOSTASIS. THIS MAY IMPACT CANCER SUSCEPTIBILITY THROUGH MAINTENANCE OF THE EPITHELIAL/MUCUS BARRIER AND PRODUCTION OF PROTECTIVE METABOLITES, SUCH AS SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS (SCFAS) VIA INTERACTIONS WITH THE HOSTS' DIET AND METABOLISM. MICROBIOME DYSBIOSIS LEADS TO THE ENRICHMENT OF CANCER-PROMOTING BACTERIAL POPULATIONS, LOSS OF PROTECTIVE POPULATIONS OR MAINTAINING AN INFLAMMATORY CHRONIC STATE, ALL OF WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF CRC. MEANWHILE, VARIATIONS IN PATIENT RESPONSES TO ANTI-CANCER IMMUNO- AND CHEMOTHERAPIES WERE ALSO LINKED TO INTER-INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN INTESTINE MICROBIOMES. THE AUTHORS AIM TO HIGHLIGHT THE CONTRIBUTION OF EPITHELIAL AND GUT MICROBIOME INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF CRC PATIENTS' STRATIFICATION TOWARDS A PERSONALIZED APPROACH OF EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT. 2021 9 3268 43 HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA IMMUNOTHERAPY AND THE POTENTIAL INFLUENCE OF GUT MICROBIOME. DISRUPTIONS IN THE HUMAN GUT MICROBIOME HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH A CYCLE OF HEPATOCYTE INJURY AND REGENERATION CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE. EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THE GUT MICROBIOTA CAN PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA THROUGH THE PERSISTENCE OF THIS INFLAMMATION BY INDUCING GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES LEADING TO CANCER. AS THE GUT MICROBIOME IS KNOWN FOR ITS EFFECT ON HOST METABOLISM AND IMMUNE RESPONSE, IT COMES AS NO SURPRISE THAT THE GUT MICROBIOME MAY HAVE A ROLE IN THE RESPONSE TO THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES SUCH AS IMMUNOTHERAPY AND CHEMOTHERAPY FOR LIVER CANCER. GUT MICROBIOTA MAY INFLUENCE THE EFFICACY OF IMMUNOTHERAPY BY REGULATING THE RESPONSES TO IMMUNE CHECKPOINT INHIBITORS IN PATIENTS WITH HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA. HERE, WE REVIEW THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH GUT MICROBIOTA INFLUENCES HEPATIC CARCINOGENESIS, THE IMMUNE CHECKPOINT INHIBITORS CURRENTLY BEING USED TO TREAT HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA, AS WELL AS SUMMARIZE THE CURRENT FINDINGS TO SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL CRITICAL ROLE OF GUT MICROBIOME IN HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA (HCC) IMMUNOTHERAPY. 2021 10 6325 28 THE ROLE OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS IN COLORECTAL CANCER. A LARGE BODY OF EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT GENETIC MUTATIONS, EPIGENETIC CHANGES, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, DIET, AND LIFESTYLE ARE KEY RISK FACTORS FOR COLORECTAL CANCER (CRC). PREVENTION OF CRC HAS LONG BEEN CONSIDERED A PLAUSIBLE APPROACH FOR THE POPULATION AND INDIVIDUALS AT HIGH RISK FOR DEVELOPING THIS DISEASE. A SIGNIFICANT EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL DRUGS FOR BOTH PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES. THIS REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS RECENT ADVANCES IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF NONSTEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS IN CRC PREVENTION AND ADJUVANT TREATMENT. MOREOVER, WE FOCUS ON THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE ANTITUMOR EFFECTS OF THESE DRUGS IN CRC. THE KNOWLEDGE OF HOW ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AGENTS INHIBIT CANCER FORMATION AND PROGRESSION MAY PROVIDE A RATIONALE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE EFFECTIVE CHEMOPREVENTIVE AND CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENTS WITH LESS TOXICITY. 2013 11 5373 41 RECENT ADVANCES IN UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF DIET AND OBESITY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF COLORECTAL CANCER. COLORECTAL CANCER (CRC) IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF PREMATURE DEATH IN THE UK AND MANY DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. HOWEVER, THE RISK OF DEVELOPING CRC IS WELL RECOGNISED TO BE ASSOCIATED NOT ONLY WITH DIET BUT ALSO WITH OBESITY AND LACK OF EXERCISE. WHILE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE SHOWS AN ASSOCIATION WITH FACTORS SUCH AS HIGH RED MEAT INTAKE AND LOW INTAKE OF VEGETABLES, FIBRE AND FISH, THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THESE EFFECTS ARE ONLY NOW BEING ELUCIDATED. CRC DEVELOPS OVER MANY YEARS AND IS TYPICALLY CHARACTERISED BY AN ACCUMULATION OF MUTATIONS, WHICH MAY ARISE AS A CONSEQUENCE OF INHERITED POLYMORPHISMS IN KEY GENES, BUT MORE COMMONLY AS A RESULT OF SPONTANEOUSLY ARISING MUTATIONS AFFECTING GENES CONTROLLING CELL PROLIFERATION, DIFFERENTIATION, APOPTOSIS AND DNA REPAIR. EPIGENETIC CHANGES ARE OBSERVED THROUGHOUT THE PROGRESS FROM NORMAL MORPHOLOGY THROUGH FORMATION OF ADENOMA, AND THE SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT OF CARCINOMA. THE REASONS WHY THIS ACCUMULATION OF LOSS OF HOMOEOSTATIC CONTROLS ARISES ARE UNCLEAR BUT CHRONIC INFLAMMATION HAS BEEN PROPOSED TO PLAY A CENTRAL ROLE. OBESITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED PLASMA LEVELS OF CHEMOKINES AND ADIPOKINES CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRONIC SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION, AND DIETARY FACTORS SUCH AS FISH OILS AND PHYTOCHEMICALS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES AS WELL AS MODULATING ESTABLISHED RISK FACTORS SUCH AS APOPTOSIS AND CELL PROLIFERATION. THERE IS ALSO SOME EVIDENCE THAT DIET CAN MODIFY EPIGENETIC CHANGES. THIS PAPER BRIEFLY REVIEWS THE CURRENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE IN RELATION TO CRC DEVELOPMENT AND CONSIDERS EVIDENCE FOR POTENTIAL MECHANISMS BY WHICH DIET MAY MODIFY RISK. 2011 12 6253 34 THE MICROBIOME AND HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA. THE HUMAN MICROBIOME IS A VAST AND COMPLEX SYSTEM ENCOMPASSING ALL OF THE MICROBES AND THEIR GENES THAT OCCUPY THE ENVIRONMENTALLY EXPOSED SURFACES OF THE HUMAN BODY. THE GUT MICROBIOTA AND ITS ASSOCIATED MICROBIOME PLAY AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN MAMMALIAN METABOLISM AND IMMUNE TOLERANCE AS WELL AS IN IMMUNOCOMPETENCE. DISRUPTIONS IN THE HUMAN GUT MICROBIOME ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A CYCLE OF HEPATOCYTE INJURY AND REGENERATION CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE. THE PERSISTENCE OF THIS INFLAMMATION HAS BEEN SHOWN TO INDUCE THE ACCUMULATION OF GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES LEADING TO HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA (HCC). THEREFORE, THE IMPORTANCE AND PROGNOSTIC INFLUENCE OF THE GUT MICROBIOME ON HEPATOCARCINOGENESIS HAS BEEN INCREASINGLY STUDIED IN RECENT YEARS. THIS REVIEW DISCUSSES THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH IMBALANCES IN THE GUT MICROBIOME DISTURB THE GUT-LIVER AXIS TO IMPACT HEPATOCARCINOGENESIS, INCLUDING DISRUPTION OF THE INTESTINAL BARRIER, CHANGES IN BILE ACID METABOLISM, AND REDUCTION IN TUMOR-SUPPRESSING MICRORNA. FURTHERMORE, THIS REVIEW SUMMARIZES RECENT ADVANCES IN POTENTIAL MICROBIOME-BASED THERAPEUTIC OPPORTUNITIES IN HCC. 2020 13 566 41 BASES FOR THE ADEQUATE DEVELOPMENT OF NUTRITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PATIENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE. INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD) IS A CHRONIC AND RELAPSING INFLAMMATORY CONDITION OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT; IT IS A HETEROGENEOUS AND MULTIFACTORIAL DISORDER RESULTING FROM A COMPLEX INTERPLAY BETWEEN GENETIC VARIATION, INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA, THE HOST IMMUNE SYSTEM AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS SUCH AS DIET, DRUGS, BREASTFEEDING AND SMOKING. THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN DIETARY NUTRIENTS AND INTESTINAL IMMUNITY ARE COMPLEX. THERE IS A COMPELLING ARGUMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS SUCH AS DIET PLAYING A ROLE IN THE CAUSE AND COURSE OF IBD, GIVEN THAT THREE IMPORTANT FACTORS IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF IBD CAN BE MODULATED AND CONTROLLED BY DIET: INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA, THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND EPITHELIAL BARRIER FUNCTION. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW IS TO SUMMARIZE THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL FINDINGS REGARDING DIET AND TO FOCUS ON THE EFFECTS THAT NUTRIENTS EXERT ON THE INTESTINAL MUCOSA-MICROBIOTA-PERMEABILITY INTERACTION. THE NATURE OF THESE INTERACTIONS IN IBD IS INFLUENCED BY ALTERATIONS IN THE NUTRITIONAL METABOLISM OF THE GUT MICROBIOTA AND HOST CELLS THAT CAN INFLUENCE THE OUTCOME OF NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTION. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF DIET-HOST-MICROBIOTA INTERACTIONS IS ESSENTIAL FOR UNRAVELLING THE COMPLEX MOLECULAR BASIS OF EPIGENETIC, GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS UNDERLYING IBD PATHOGENESIS AS WELL AS FOR OFFERING NEW THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES FOR THE TREATMENT OF IBD. 2019 14 4453 45 MOLECULAR MECHANISMS AND PATHWAYS AS TARGETS FOR CANCER PREVENTION AND PROGRESSION WITH DIETARY COMPOUNDS. A UNIQUE FEATURE OF BIOACTIVE FOOD INGREDIENTS IS THEIR BROAD ANTIOXIDANT FUNCTION. ANTIOXIDANTS HAVING A WIDE SPECTRUM OF CHEMICAL STRUCTURE AND ACTIVITY BEYOND BASIC NUTRITION; DISPLAY DIFFERENT HEALTH BENEFITS BY THE PREVENTION AND PROGRESSION OF CHRONIC DISEASES. FUNCTIONAL FOOD COMPONENTS ARE CAPABLE OF ENHANCING THE NATURAL ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSE SYSTEM BY SCAVENGING REACTIVE OXYGEN AND NITROGEN SPECIES, PROTECTING AND REPAIRING DNA DAMAGE, AS WELL AS MODULATING THE SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION PATHWAYS AND GENE EXPRESSION. MAJOR PATHWAYS AFFECTED BY BIOACTIVE FOOD INGREDIENTS INCLUDE THE PRO-INFLAMMATORY PATHWAYS REGULATED BY NUCLEAR FACTOR KAPPA B (NF-KAPPAB), AS WELL AS THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH CYTOKINES AND CHEMOKINES. THE PRESENT REVIEW SUMMARIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANT BIOACTIVES AND THEIR ROLES IN THE REGULATION OF INFLAMMATORY PATHWAYS. BIOACTIVES INFLUENCE SEVERAL PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES SUCH AS GENE EXPRESSION, CELL CYCLE REGULATION, CELL PROLIFERATION, CELL MIGRATION, ETC., RESULTING IN CANCER PREVENTION. CANCER INITIATION IS ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN METABOLIC PATHWAYS SUCH AS GLUCOSE METABOLISM, AND THE EFFECT OF BIOACTIVES IN NORMALIZING THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN PROVIDED. INITIATION AND PROGRESSION OF INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES (IBD) WHICH INCREASE THE CHANCES OF DEVELOPING OF COLORECTAL CANCERS CAN BE DOWNREGULATED BY PLANT BIOACTIVES. SEVERAL ASPECTS OF THE POTENTIAL ROLES OF MICRORNAS AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CANCERS HAVE ALSO BEEN PRESENTED. 2017 15 3547 45 IMMUNOMODULATORY ROLE OF NUTRIENTS: HOW CAN PULMONARY DYSFUNCTIONS IMPROVE? NUTRITION IS AN IMPORTANT TOOL THAT CAN BE USED TO MODULATE THE IMMUNE RESPONSE DURING INFECTIOUS DISEASES. IN ADDITION, THROUGH DIET, IMPORTANT SUBSTRATES ARE ACQUIRED FOR THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF REGULATORY MOLECULES IN THE IMMUNE RESPONSE, INFLUENCING THE PROGRESSION AND TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LUNG DISEASES, SUCH AS ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). IN THIS WAY, NUTRITION CAN PROMOTE LUNG HEALTH STATUS. A RANGE OF NUTRIENTS, SUCH AS VITAMINS (A, C, D, AND E), MINERALS (ZINC, SELENIUM, IRON, AND MAGNESIUM), FLAVONOIDS AND FATTY ACIDS, PLAY IMPORTANT ROLES IN REDUCING THE RISK OF PULMONARY CHRONIC DISEASES AND VIRAL INFECTIONS. THROUGH THEIR ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS, NUTRIENTS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER LUNG FUNCTION AND A LOWER RISK OF COMPLICATIONS SINCE THEY CAN DECREASE THE HARMFUL EFFECTS FROM THE IMMUNE SYSTEM DURING THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE. IN ADDITION, BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS CAN EVEN CONTRIBUTE TO EPIGENETIC CHANGES, INCLUDING HISTONE DEACETYLASE (HDAC) MODIFICATIONS THAT INHIBIT THE TRANSCRIPTION OF PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, WHICH CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE MAINTENANCE OF HOMEOSTASIS IN THE CONTEXT OF INFECTIONS AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. THESE NUTRIENTS ALSO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN ACTIVATING IMMUNE RESPONSES AGAINST PATHOGENS, WHICH CAN HELP THE IMMUNE SYSTEM DURING INFECTIONS. HERE, WE PROVIDE AN UPDATED OVERVIEW OF THE ROLES PLAYED BY DIETARY FACTORS AND HOW THEY CAN AFFECT RESPIRATORY HEALTH. THEREFORE, WE WILL SHOW THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ROLE OF FLAVONOIDS, FATTY ACIDS, VITAMINS AND MICROBIOTA, IMPORTANT FOR THE CONTROL OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES AND ALLERGIES, IN ADDITION TO THE ANTIVIRAL ROLE OF VITAMINS, FLAVONOIDS, AND MINERALS DURING PULMONARY VIRAL INFECTIONS, ADDRESSING THE MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN EACH FUNCTION. THESE MECHANISMS ARE INTERESTING IN THE DISCUSSION OF PERSPECTIVES ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS 2 (SARS-COV-2) INFECTION AND ITS PULMONARY COMPLICATIONS SINCE PATIENTS WITH SEVERE DISEASE HAVE VITAMINS DEFICIENCY, ESPECIALLY VITAMIN D. IN ADDITION, RESEARCHES WITH THE USE OF FLAVONOIDS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO DECREASE VIRAL REPLICATION IN VITRO. THIS WAY, A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF DIETARY INFLUENCES CAN IMPROVE THE LUNG HEALTH OF PATIENTS. 2021 16 6213 33 THE INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL CELL CYCLE: UNCOVERING ITS 'CRYPTIC' NATURE. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: TO DISCUSS THE RECENT LANDMARK FINDINGS THAT HAVE INCREASED OUR UNDERSTANDING NOT ONLY OF THE ROLE OF THE EPITHELIAL CELL CYCLE IN THE HOMEOSTASIS OF THE SMALL INTESTINE, BUT ALSO ITS RELEVANCE TO INFLAMMATION AND CANCER. RECENT FINDINGS: RECENT DATA HAVE UNVEILED NOVEL INFORMATION ON PROTEIN INTERACTIONS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE CELL CYCLE AS WELL AS IN THE PATHWAYS THAT TRANSDUCE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNALS TO THE CELL CYCLE. A GROWING BODY OF THE RECENT EVIDENCE CONFIRMS THE IMPORTANCE OF FOOD AS WELL AS HORMONAL REGULATION IN THE GUT ON CELL CYCLE. INFORMATION ON THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE EPITHELIAL MICROENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING THE MICROBIOTA, HAS GROWN SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE RECENT YEARS AS WELL AS ON THE GENE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS AND THE MULTIPLE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN REGULATING CELL-CYCLE PROTEINS AND SIGNALLING. FINALLY, FURTHER STUDIES INVESTIGATING THE DYSREGULATION OF THE CELL CYCLE DURING INFLAMMATION AND PROLIFERATION HAVE INCREASED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES AND CANCER. SUMMARY: THIS REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS SOME OF THE MOST RECENT ADVANCES THAT FURTHER EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CELL CYCLE IN THE SMALL INTESTINE DURING HOMEOSTASIS AS WELL AS IN INFLAMMATION AND CANCER. 2015 17 2601 46 EPIGENETICS, DNA ORGANIZATION, AND INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE. INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES (IBDS) ARE CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISORDERS AFFECTING THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT. THE INCIDENCE OF IBD IS INCREASING, WITH MORE CASES OCCURRING IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. MULTIPLE FACTORS SUCH AS GENETICS, ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES, GUT MICROBIOTA, AND IMMUNE ABNORMALITIES HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH DEVELOPMENT OF IBD. IN RECENT YEARS, IT HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY APPARENT THAT EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS OF CHROMATIN AND THE MANNER IN WHICH CHROMATIN IS ORGANIZED IN THE NUCLEUS ARE ADDITIONALLY IMPORTANT ELEMENTS THAT CAN INFLUENCE RESPONSES INDUCED BY THE FACTORS DESCRIBED ABOVE, AND MAY THEREFORE CONTRIBUTE TO THE ONSET AND PATHOGENESIS OF IBD. EPIGENETICS AND CHROMATIN ORGANIZATION REGULATE DIVERSE FUNCTIONS THAT INCLUDE MAINTENANCE OF HOMEOSTASIS IN THE INTESTINAL EPITHELIUM, THE DEVELOPMENT AND DIFFERENTIATION OF IMMUNE CELLS, AND MODULATION OF RESPONSES GENERATED BY THE IMMUNE SYSTEM TO DEFEND AGAINST POTENTIAL PATHOGENS. FURTHERMORE, CHANGES IN EPIGENETIC CHROMATIN MARKS AND IN CHROMATIN ORGANIZATION HAVE NOW BEEN LINKED TO DIFFERENTIAL GENE EXPRESSION IN IBD PATIENT CELLS. ALTHOUGH DIRECT EVIDENCE FOR A ROLE OF HISTONE MODIFICATIONS IN IBD IS CURRENTLY VERY LIMITED, IN THIS REVIEW, WE SUMMARIZE THE LINKS BETWEEN VARIOUS EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, THE PROTEINS THAT CATALYZE OR RECOGNIZE THESE MODIFICATIONS, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OR PROGRESSION OF IBD IN HUMAN AND EXPERIMENTAL IBD. WE ALSO DISCUSS HOW EPIGENETICS INFLUENCE THE ORGANIZATION OF DNA CONTACTS TO REGULATE GENE EXPRESSION AND THE IMPLICATIONS THIS MAY HAVE FOR DIAGNOSING AND TREATING IBD. 2019 18 1149 47 CONNECTING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, SYSTEMIC CHRONIC INFLAMMATION AND THE GUT MICROBIOME: THE ROLE OF SEX. UNRESOLVED LOW GRADE SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION REPRESENTS THE UNDERLYING PATHOLOGICAL MECHANISM DRIVING IMMUNE AND METABOLIC PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES (AID). MECHANISTIC STUDIES IN ANIMAL MODELS OF AID AND OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES IN PATIENTS HAVE FOUND ALTERATIONS IN GUT MICROBIOTA COMMUNITIES AND THEIR METABOLITES, SUGGESTING A MICROBIAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE ONSET OR PROGRESSION OF AID. THE GUT MICROBIOTA AND ITS METABOLITES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO INFLUENCE IMMUNE FUNCTIONS AND IMMUNE HOMEOSTASIS BOTH WITHIN THE GUT AND SYSTEMATICALLY. MICROBIAL DERIVED-SHORT CHAIN FATTY ACID (SCFA) AND BIO-TRANSFORMED BILE ACID (BA) HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO INFLUENCE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM ACTING AS LIGANDS SPECIFIC CELL SIGNALING RECEPTORS LIKE GPRCS, TGR5 AND FXR, OR VIA EPIGENETIC PROCESSES. SIMILARLY, INTESTINAL PERMEABILITY (LEAKY GUT) AND BACTERIAL TRANSLOCATION ARE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS TO CHRONIC SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION AND, WITHOUT REPAIR OF THE INTESTINAL BARRIER, MIGHT REPRESENT A CONTINUOUS INFLAMMATORY STIMULUS CAPABLE OF TRIGGERING AUTOIMMUNE PROCESSES. RECENT STUDIES INDICATE GENDER-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES IN IMMUNITY, WITH THE GUT MICROBIOTA SHAPING AND BEING CONCOMITANTLY SHAPED BY THE HORMONAL MILIEU GOVERNING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SEXES. A BI-DIRECTIONAL CROSS-TALK BETWEEN MICROBIOTA AND THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM IS EMERGING WITH BACTERIA BEING ABLE TO PRODUCE HORMONES (E.G. SEROTONIN, DOPAMINE AND SOMATOSTATINE), RESPOND TO HOST HORMONES (E.G. ESTROGENS) AND REGULATE HOST HORMONES' HOMEOSTASIS (E.G BY INHIBITING GENE PROLACTIN TRANSCRIPTION OR CONVERTING GLUCOCORTICOIDS TO ANDROGENS). WE REVIEW HEREIN HOW GUT MICROBIOTA AND ITS METABOLITES REGULATE IMMUNE FUNCTION, INTESTINAL PERMEABILITY AND POSSIBLY AID PATHOLOGICAL PROCESSES. FURTHER, WE DESCRIBE THE DYSBIOSIS WITHIN THE GUT MICROBIOTA OBSERVED IN DIFFERENT AID AND SPECULATE HOW RESTORING GUT MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION AND ITS REGULATORY METABOLITES BY DIETARY INTERVENTION INCLUDING PREBIOTICS AND PROBIOTICS COULD HELP IN PREVENTING OR AMELIORATING AID. FINALLY, WE SUGGEST THAT, GIVEN CONSISTENT OBSERVATIONS OF MICROBIOTA DYSBIOSIS ASSOCIATED WITH AID AND THE ABILITY OF SCFA AND BA TO REGULATE INTESTINAL PERMEABILITY AND INFLAMMATION, FURTHER MECHANISTIC STUDIES, EXAMINING HOW DIETARY MICROBIOTA MODULATION CAN PROTECT AGAINST AID, HOLD CONSIDERABLE POTENTIAL TO TACKLE INCREASED INCIDENCE OF AID AT THE POPULATION LEVEL. 2018 19 2704 32 EXERCISE AND COLORECTAL CANCER: PREVENTION AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS. EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH A DECREASED INCIDENCE RATE OF VARIOUS CHRONIC DISEASES ESPECIALLY NUMEROUS HUMAN MALIGNANCIES. A HUGE NUMBER OF CLINICAL TRIALS AND META-ANALYSIS HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT EXERCISE IS SIGNIFICANTLY EFFECTIVE IN LOWERING THE RISK OF COLORECTAL CANCER. IN ADDITION, IT IS SUGGESTED AS AN EFFECTIVE THERAPEUTIC MODALITY AGAINST THIS CANCER TYPE. THEREFORE, IN THIS REVIEW, WE WILL REVIEW COMPREHENSIBLY THE EFFECTS OF EXERCISE IN PREVENTING, TREATING, AND ALLEVIATING THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF CONVENTIONAL THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS IN COLORECTAL CANCER. MOREOVER, THE POSSIBLE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN COLORECTAL CANCER, INCLUDING REGULATION OF INFLAMMATION, APOPTOSIS, GROWTH FACTOR AXIS, IMMUNITY, EPIGENETIC, ETC. WILL BE ALSO DISCUSSED. 2022 20 3669 35 INFLAMMAGING AND CANCER: A CHALLENGE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET. AGING IS CONSIDERED THE MAJOR RISK FACTOR FOR CANCER, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MORTALITY CAUSES IN THE WESTERN WORLD. INFLAMMAGING, A STATE OF CHRONIC, LOW-LEVEL SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION, IS A PERVASIVE FEATURE OF HUMAN AGING. CHRONIC INFLAMMATION INCREASES CANCER RISK AND AFFECTS ALL CANCER STAGES, TRIGGERING THE INITIAL GENETIC MUTATION OR EPIGENETIC MECHANISM, PROMOTING CANCER INITIATION, PROGRESSION AND METASTATIC DIFFUSION. THUS, INFLAMMAGING IS A STRONG CANDIDATE TO CONNECT AGE AND CANCER. A COROLLARY OF THIS HYPOTHESIS IS THAT INTERVENTIONS AIMING TO DECREASE INFLAMMAGING SHOULD PROTECT AGAINST CANCER, AS WELL AS MOST/ALL AGE-RELATED DISEASES. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DATA ARE CONCORDANT IN SUGGESTING THAT THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET (MD) DECREASES THE RISK OF A VARIETY OF CANCERS BUT THE UNDERPINNING MECHANISM(S) IS (ARE) STILL UNCLEAR. HERE WE REVIEW DATA INDICATING THAT THE MD (AS A WHOLE DIET OR SINGLE BIOACTIVE NUTRIENTS TYPICAL OF THE MD) MODULATES MULTIPLE INTERCONNECTED PROCESSES INVOLVED IN CARCINOGENESIS AND INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE SUCH AS FREE RADICAL PRODUCTION, NF-KAPPAB ACTIVATION AND EXPRESSION OF INFLAMMATORY MEDIATORS, AND THE EICOSANOIDS PATHWAY. PARTICULAR ATTENTION IS DEVOTED TO THE CAPABILITY OF MD TO AFFECT THE BALANCE BETWEEN PRO- AND ANTI-INFLAMMAGING AS WELL AS TO EMERGING TOPICS SUCH AS MAINTENANCE OF GUT MICROBIOTA (GM) HOMEOSTASIS AND EPIGENETIC MODULATION OF ONCOGENESIS THROUGH SPECIFIC MICRORNAS. 2015