1 4977 268 PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY ASPECTS OF DIETARY FATS AND LONG-CHAIN POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS ACROSS THE LIFE CYCLE. DIETARY FAT IS OUR SECOND MOST IMPORTANT ENERGY-PRODUCING MACRONUTRIENT. IT ALSO CONTAINS FATTY ACIDS AND VITAMINS ESSENTIAL FOR GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, AND MAINTENANCE OF GOOD HEALTH. DIETARY FAT QUANTITY AND QUALITY HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO TREMENDOUS CHANGE OVER THE PAST 10,000 YEARS. THIS HAS, TOGETHER WITH OTHER MAN-MADE CHANGES IN OUR ENVIRONMENT, CAUSED A CONFLICT WITH OUR SLOWLY ADAPTING GENOME THAT IS IMPLICATED IN "TYPICALLY WESTERN" DISEASES. RATHER THAN REDUCING OUR LIFE EXPECTANCY, THESE DISEASES NOTABLY DIMINISH OUR NUMBER OF YEARS IN HEALTH. IMPORTANT CHANGES IN DIETARY FAT QUALITY ARE THE INCREASED INTAKES OF CERTAIN SATURATED FATTY ACIDS (SAFA) AND LINOLEIC ACID (LA), INTRODUCTION OF INDUSTRIALLY PRODUCED TRANS FATTY ACIDS, AND REDUCED INTAKES OF OMEGA3 FATTY ACIDS, NOTABLY ALPHA-LINOLENIC ACID (ALA) FROM VEGETABLE SOURCES AND EICOSAPENTAENOIC ACID (EPA) AND DOCOSAHEXAENOIC ACID (DHA) FROM FISH. THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF THESE CHANGES ARE DIVERSE, BUT ARE INCREASINGLY ASCRIBED TO INDUCTION OF A PROINFLAMMATORY STATE THAT PROGRESSES EASILY TO CHRONIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION. THE LATTER MIGHT AFFECT VIRTUALLY ALL ORGANS AND SYSTEMS, POSSIBLY BEGINNING AT CONCEPTION, AND POSSIBLY EVEN PRIOR TO GAMETOGENESIS THROUGH EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS. LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION MIGHT BE A COMMON DENOMINATOR OF THE METABOLIC SYNDROME AND ITS SEQUELAE (E.G., CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (CAD), DIABETES MELLITUS TYPE 2, SOME TYPES OF CANCER, AND PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS), SOME PSYCHIATRIC DISEASES (E.G., MAJOR AND POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION, SCHIZOPHRENIA, AND AUTISM), AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES (E.G., ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, PARKINSON'S DISEASE). THE LONG-CHAIN POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS (LCPUFA) ARACHIDONIC ACID (AA), EPA, AND DHA ARE INTIMATELY RELATED TO THE INITIATION AND RESOLUTION OF INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES. THE CURRENT BALANCE BETWEEN AA AND EPA + DHA IS HOWEVER DISTURBED BY THE DOMINANCE OF AA, WHICH ORIGINATES FROM THE DIET OR SYNTHESIS FROM LA. LCPUFA ARE TOGETHER WITH THEIR HIGHLY POTENT METABOLITES (PROSTAGLANDINS, THROMBOXANES, LEUKOTRIENES, RESOLVINS, AND (NEURO)PROTECTINS) INVOLVED IN THE FUNCTIONING OF MEMBRANE-BOUND RECEPTORS, TRANSPORTERS, ION CHANNELS, AND ENZYMES, AND ALSO IN SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION AND GENE EXPRESSION. AMONG THEIR MANY TARGETS ARE NUCLEAR RECEPTORS WHICH, UPON LIGATION WITH LCPUFA AND THEIR METABOLITES, FUNCTION AS TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS OF A VARIETY OF GENES FUNCTIONING IN MANY PATHWAYS. FOR INSTANCE, THE TARGETED PEROXISOME PROLIFERATORS-ACTIVATED RECEPTORS (PPARS) ARE STRATEGIC INTERMEDIATES IN THE COORDINATED EXPRESSION OF PROTEINS WITH FUNCTIONS IN, FOR EXAMPLE, LIPID AND GLUCOSE HOMEOSTASIS AND INFLAMMATORY REACTIONS. MANY INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED WITH LCPUFA, ESPECIALLY EPA AND DHA, AIMING AT PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CAD PREVENTIONS, IMPROVEMENT OF FETAL AND NEWBORN (BRAIN) DEVELOPMENT BY SUPPLEMENTATION DURING PREGNANCY OR EARLY POSTNATAL LIFE, AND IN PSYCHIATRIC DISEASES. CONSENSUS HAS BEEN REACHED THAT THOSE IN CAD AND DEPRESSION ARE POSITIVE, ALTHOUGH MORE LARGE-SCALE TRIALS ARE NEEDED. MANY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE INTAKES OF SATURATED FAT, TRANS FAT AND EPA + DHA HAVE BEEN ISSUED, NOTABLY FOR CAD PREVENTION, AND ALSO FOR EPA + DHA INTAKES BY PREGNANT WOMEN AND FOR AA, EPA, AND DHA INTAKES BY NEWBORNS. THE ULTIMATE GOAL MIGHT, HOWEVER, BE TO RETURN TO THE FAT QUALITY OF OUR ANCIENT DIET ON WHICH OUR GENES HAVE EVOLVED DURING THE PAST MILLION YEARS OF EVOLUTION, WHILE THIS ACTUALLY APPLIES FOR OUR ENTIRE DIETARY COMPOSITION AND LIFESTYLE, AS TRANSLATED TO THE CULTURE OF THE CURRENT SOCIETY. 2010 2 1034 38 CKD IN ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIANS. CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD) IS ONE COMPONENT OF A SPECTRUM OF CHRONIC DISEASE IN ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIANS. CKD IS MARKED BY ALBUMINURIA, WHICH PREDICTS RENAL FAILURE AND NONRENAL NATURAL DEATH. RATES VARY GREATLY BY COMMUNITY AND REGION AND ARE MUCH HIGHER IN REMOTE AREAS. THIS REFLECTS THE HETEROGENEOUS CHARACTERISTICS AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLE. CKD IS MULTIDETERMINANT, AND EARLY-LIFE INFLUENCES (NOTABLY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT), INFECTIONS (INCLUDING POSTSTREPTOCOCCAL GLOMERULONEPHRITIS), METABOLIC/HEMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS, AND EPIGENETIC/GENETIC FACTORS PROBABLY CONTRIBUTE. CKD IS ASSOCIATED INTIMATELY WITH CARDIOVASCULAR RISK. ALBUMINURIA PROGRESSES OVER TIME, WITH A HIGH INCIDENCE OF NEW ONSET OF PATHOLOGIC LEVELS OF ALBUMINURIA IN ALL AGE GROUPS. ALL THE USUAL MORPHOLOGIC FINDINGS ARE FOUND IN RENAL BIOPSY SPECIMENS. HOWEVER, GLOMERULAR ENLARGEMENT IS NOTABLE IN INDIVIDUALS FROM REMOTE REGIONS, BUT NOT THOSE LIVING CLOSER TO POPULATION CENTERS. GLOMERULOMEGALY PROBABLY REPRESENTS COMPENSATORY HYPERTROPHY CAUSED BY LOW NEPHRON NUMBER, WHICH PROBABLY UNDERLIES THE ACCENTUATED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO RENAL DISEASE. IN THE LAST DECADE, HEALTH CARE SERVICES HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED TO ACCOMMODATE SYSTEMATIC CHRONIC DISEASE SURVEILLANCE AND MANAGEMENT. AFTER A RELENTLESS INCREASE FOR 3 DECADES, RATES OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLE STARTING RENAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY, AS WELL AS CHRONIC DISEASE DEATHS, APPEAR TO BE STABILIZING IN SOME REGIONS. OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT OF THESE SYSTEM CHANGES, PLUS ONGOING REDUCTIONS IN THE INCIDENCE OF LOW BIRTH WEIGHT AND INFECTIONS, HOLD PROMISE FOR CONTINUED BETTER OUTCOMES. 2010 3 4037 38 MACROPHAGE IMMUNOMETABOLISM AND INFLAMMAGING: ROLES OF MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, CELLULAR SENESCENCE, CD38, AND NAD. AGING IS A COMPLEX PROCESS THAT INVOLVES DYSFUNCTION ON MULTIPLE LEVELS, ALL OF WHICH SEEM TO CONVERGE ON INFLAMMATION. MACROPHAGES ARE INTIMATELY INVOLVED IN INITIATING AND RESOLVING INFLAMMATION, AND THEIR DYSREGULATION WITH AGE IS A PRIMARY CONTRIBUTOR TO INFLAMMAGING-A STATE OF CHRONIC, LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION THAT DEVELOPS DURING AGING. AMONG THE AGE-RELATED CHANGES THAT OCCUR TO MACROPHAGES ARE A HEIGHTENED STATE OF BASAL INFLAMMATION AND DIMINISHED OR HYPERACTIVE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES, WHICH SEEM TO BE DRIVEN BY METABOLIC-DEPENDENT EPIGENETIC CHANGES. IN THIS REVIEW ARTICLE WE PROVIDE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTIONS AND AGE-RELATED CHANGES THAT OCCUR TO MACROPHAGES, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON HOW THE INFLAMMAGING ENVIRONMENT, SENESCENCE, AND NAD DECLINE CAN AFFECT THEIR METABOLISM, PROMOTE DYSREGULATION, AND CONTRIBUTE TO INFLAMMAGING AND AGE-RELATED PATHOLOGIES. 2020 4 5112 37 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS: BIOCHEMICAL, NUTRITIONAL AND EPIGENETIC PROPERTIES. DIETARY POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS (PUFA) HAVE EFFECTS ON DIVERSE PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES IMPACTING NORMAL HEALTH AND CHRONIC DISEASES, SUCH AS THE REGULATION OF PLASMA LIPID LEVELS, CARDIOVASCULAR AND IMMUNE FUNCTION, INSULIN ACTION AND NEURONAL DEVELOPMENT AND VISUAL FUNCTION. INGESTION OF PUFA WILL LEAD TO THEIR DISTRIBUTION TO VIRTUALLY EVERY CELL IN THE BODY WITH EFFECTS ON MEMBRANE COMPOSITION AND FUNCTION, EICOSANOID SYNTHESIS, CELLULAR SIGNALING AND REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION. CELL SPECIFIC LIPID METABOLISM, AS WELL AS THE EXPRESSION OF FATTY ACID-REGULATED TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS, LIKELY PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN DETERMINING HOW CELLS RESPOND TO CHANGES IN PUFA COMPOSITION. THIS REVIEW WILL FOCUS ON RECENT ADVANCES ON THE ESSENTIALITY OF THESE MOLECULES AND ON THEIR INTERPLAY IN CELL PHYSIOLOGY, LEADING TO NEW PERSPECTIVE IN DIFFERENT THERAPEUTIC FIELDS. 2004 5 2506 39 EPIGENETICS AND NUTRITION-RELATED EPIDEMICS OF METABOLIC DISEASES: CURRENT PERSPECTIVES AND CHALLENGES. WE LIVE IN A WORLD FASCINATED BY THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DISEASE AND NUTRITIONAL DISEQUILIBRIUM. THE SUBTLE AND SLOW EFFECTS OF CHRONIC NUTRIENT TOXICITY ARE A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN. SINCE FOOD IS POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF "METABOLIC MEMORY", THERE IS A NEED FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE TYPE OF NUTRIENTS CAUSING ADVERSE OR TOXIC EFFECTS. WE NOW KNOW THAT METABOLIC ALTERATIONS PRODUCED BY EXCESSIVE INTAKE OF SOME NUTRIENTS, DRUGS AND CHEMICALS DIRECTLY IMPACT EPIGENETIC REGULATION. WE ENVISION THAT UNDERSTANDING HOW METABOLIC PATHWAYS ARE COORDINATED BY ENVIRONMENTAL AND GENETIC FACTORS WILL PROVIDE NOVEL INSIGHTS FOR THE TREATMENT OF METABOLIC DISEASES. NEW METHODS WILL ENABLE THE ASSEMBLY AND ANALYSIS OF LARGE SETS OF COMPLEX MOLECULAR AND CLINICAL DATA FOR UNDERSTANDING HOW INFLAMMATION AND MITOCHONDRIA AFFECT BIOENERGETICS, EPIGENETICS AND HEALTH. COLLECTIVELY, THE OBSERVATIONS WE HIGHLIGHT INDICATE THAT ENERGY UTILIZATION AND DISEASE ARE INTIMATELY CONNECTED BY EPIGENETICS. THE CHALLENGE IS TO INCORPORATE METABOLO-EPIGENETIC DATA IN BETTER INTERPRETATIONS OF DISEASE, TO EXPEDITE THERAPEUTIC TARGETING OF KEY PATHWAYS LINKING NUTRITIONAL TOXICITY AND METABOLISM. AN ADDITIONAL CONCERN IS THAT CHANGES IN THE PARENTAL PHENOTYPE ARE DETECTABLE IN THE METHYLOME OF SUBSEQUENT OFFSPRING. THE EFFECT MIGHT CREATE A MENACE TO FUTURE GENERATIONS AND PRECONCEPTIONAL CONSIDERATIONS. 2016 6 6883 41 [RESOLUTION OF INFLAMMATION--PHARMACOLOGICAL ASPECTS]. INFLAMMATION IS A FUNDAMENTAL BIOLOGIC PROCESS EVOLUTIONALLY PRESERVED BY A GERM LINE CODE. THE INTERPLAY OF THE EPIGENETIC WITH THE ENVIRONMENT DIRECTS THE CODE TO TEMPORALLY DISTINCT INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES, WHICH CAN BE ACUTE OR CHRONIC. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO PRESENT NEW ASPECTS REGARDING THE RESOLUTION OF INFLAMMATION. ACUTE INFLAMMATION NORMALLY RESOLVES BY MECHANISMS STILL SOMEWHAT ELUSIVE. CURRENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT AN ACTIVE COORDINATED PROGRAM INITIATED THE FIRST FEW HOURS AFTER THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE BEGINS AND ITS FAILURE LEAD TO CHRONIC INFLAMMATION. THIS PROCESS IS ESSENTIAL FOR APPROPRIATE HOST RESPONSES, TISSUE PROTECTION AND THE RETURN TO HOMEOSTASIS. PROSTAGLANDINS AND LEUKOTRIENES ARE LIPID MEDIATORS THAT PLAY IMPORTANT ROLES IN HOST DEFENSE AND ACUTE INFLAMMATION. GRANULOCYTES PROMOTE THE SWITCH OF ARACHIDONIC ACID-DERIVED PROSTAGLANDINS AND LEUKOTRIENES TO LIPOXINS, ACTIVE ANTIINFLAMMATORY AND PRO-RESOLUTION MEDIATORS. THE APOPTOSIS OF THE NEUTROPHILS COINCIDES WITH THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF RESOLVINS AND PROTECTINS FROM OMEGA-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS AND RELEASES ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND REPARATIVE CYTOKINES. THIS INFORMATION COULD LEAD TO NEW TREATMENTS FOR INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. 2011 7 6441 40 THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES FOR NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE: ESTABLISHED TARGETS AND DRUGS. NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD), AS A MULTISYSTEMIC DISEASE, IS THE MOST PREVALENT CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY EXTREMELY COMPLEX PATHOGENIC MECHANISMS AND MULTIFACTORIAL ETIOLOGY, WHICH OFTEN DEVELOPS AS A CONSEQUENCE OF OBESITY, METABOLIC SYNDROME. PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAFLD INCLUDE DIET, OBESITY, INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR), GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC DETERMINANTS, INTESTINAL DYSBIOSIS, OXIDATIVE/NITROSATIVE STRESS, AUTOPHAGY DYSREGULATION, HEPATIC INFLAMMATION, GUT-LIVER AXIS, GUT MICROBES, IMPAIRED MITOCHONDRIAL METABOLISM AND REGULATION OF HEPATIC LIPID METABOLISM. SOME OF THE NEW DRUGS FOR THE TREATMENT OF NAFLD ARE INTRODUCED HERE. ALL OF THEM ACHIEVE THERAPEUTIC OBJECTIVES BY INTERFERING WITH CERTAIN PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS OF NAFLD, INCLUDING FIBROBLAST GROWTH FACTORS (FGF) ANALOGUES, PEROXISOME PROLIFERATOR-ACTIVATED RECEPTORS (PPARS) AGONISTS, GLUCAGON-LIKE PEPTIDE-1 (GLP-1) AGONISTS, G PROTEIN-COUPLED RECEPTORS (GPCRS), SODIUM-GLUCOSE COTRANSPORTER-2 INHIBITORS (SGLT-2I), FARNESOID X RECEPTOR (FXR), FATTY ACID SYNTHASE INHIBITOR (FASNI), ANTIOXIDANTS, ETC. THIS REVIEW DESCRIBES SOME PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF NAFLD AND ESTABLISHED TARGETS AND DRUGS. 2023 8 2403 34 EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING: A POSSIBLE ETIOLOGICAL FACTOR IN BLADDER PAIN SYNDROME/INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS? PURPOSE: THE ETIOLOGY OF BLADDER PAIN SYNDROME/INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS IS POORLY UNDERSTOOD. THE POSSIBILITY THAT EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING MAY HAVE A ROLE IS DISCUSSED. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A LITERATURE SEARCH WAS PERFORMED WITH THE ENTREZ-PUBMED(R) DATABASE USING THE KEY WORDS URINARY BLADDER, EPIGENETICS, EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS, DIAGNOSIS, ETIOLOGY, UROTHELIAL CELLS, MAST CELLS, NERVE FIBERS, NERVES, NERVE GROWTH FACTOR, RECURRENT INJURY, STEM CELLS, INFLAMMATORY MEDIATORS AND DEMETHYLASES. RESULTS: THE UROEPITHELIUM IS INTIMATELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. SENSORY INPUT AT THE APICAL SURFACE OF UMBRELLA CELLS REGULATES BLADDER FUNCTION VIA A TRANSMURAL SIGNALING PATHWAY. WHEN UMBRELLA CELLS ARE SHED IN RESPONSE TO NOXIOUS STIMULI, STEM CELLS IN THE BASAL LAYER BECOME EXPOSED. THE POLYCOMB GROUP GENES ARE KEY IN THE MAINTENANCE OF ADULT STEM CELLS. THE POLYCOMB GROUP GENES MEDIATE GENE SILENCING AND REPRESS TRANSDIFFERENTIATION BY METHYLATING LYSINE 27 OF HISTONE H3 (H3K27ME3). JMJD3, AN ENZYME DEMETHYLATING H3K27ME3, ANTAGONIZES POLYCOMB GROUP GENES MEDIATED SILENCING. INFLAMMATORY STIMULI ARE STRONG INDUCERS OF JMJD3 AND MAY REVERSE GENE SILENCING IN STEM CELLS, MODIFYING THE DIFFERENTIATION PATTERN. EPIGENETIC PROCESSES INVOLVING H3K27 METHYLATION ARE MULTISTABLE PROCESSES. TRANSIENT SIGNALING, EG BY LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE, TRIGGERS EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING AND ESTABLISHES ONE OF THE ALTERNATIVE REGULATORY STATES. ONCE ESTABLISHED SUCH STATES CAN BE MAINTAINED AND PROPAGATED EVEN IN THE ABSENCE OF THE INITIAL SIGNAL. CONCLUSIONS: WE POSTULATE THAT SIMILAR EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING MECHANISMS IN THE BLADDER MAY PROVIDE AN EXPLANATION FOR UROEPITHELIAL, MAST CELLS AND NERVE CELL ABNORMALITIES IN BLADDER PAIN SYNDROME/INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS, AS WELL AS PROPAGATION OF THIS ALTERED STATE IN THE ABSENCE OF THE SIGNAL THAT MAY HAVE TRIGGERED IT. IT ALSO PROVIDES A NEW EXPERIMENTAL PARADIGM FOR EXPLORING THE ETIOLOGY OF BLADDER PAIN SYNDROME/INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS. DATA SUPPORTING THIS HYPOTHESIS WOULD PROVIDE A RATIONALE FOR NEW DIAGNOSTIC AS WELL AS TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR BLADDER PAIN SYNDROME/INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS. 2009 9 5469 43 RESOLUTION OF INFLAMMATION AS A NOVEL CHEMOPREVENTIVE STRATEGY. ACUTE INFLAMMATION, A PHYSIOLOGIC RESPONSE TO PROTECT CELLS FROM MICROBIAL INFECTION AND OTHER NOXIOUS STIMULI, IS AUTOMATICALLY TERMINATED BY ENDOGENOUS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND PRO-RESOLVING MEDIATORS TO RESTORE HOMEOSTATIC CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, IF TIMELY RESOLUTION OF INFLAMMATION IS FAILED, INFLAMMATION PERSISTS AND CAN PROGRESS TO A CHRONIC INFLAMMATION WHICH HAS LONG BEEN THOUGHT AS A PREDISPOSING FACTOR TO CARCINOGENESIS. EXCESSIVE AND PATHOLOGIC INFLAMMATION CAUSES DNA DAMAGE, GENOMIC INSTABILITY, EPIGENETIC DYSREGULATION, AND ALTERATION OF INTRACELLULAR SIGNALING, ALL OF WHICH ARE INVOLVED IN NEOPLASTIC TRANSFORMATION. TO PREVENT CHRONIC INFLAMMATION AND RESULTING INFLAMMATION-PROMOTED CANCER DEVELOPMENT, UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS THAT RESOLVES INFLAMMATION IS ESSENTIAL. RESOLUTION OF INFLAMMATION IS AN ACTIVE COORDINATED PROCESS REGULATED BY DISTINCT ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND PRO-RESOLVING ENDOGENOUS LIPID MEDIATORS, SUCH AS RESOLVINS AND LIPOXINS. THE ROLE OF PRO-INFLAMMATORY SIGNALING IN CARCINOGENESIS HAS BECOME MORE AND MORE EVIDENT AND WELL CHARACTERIZED, BUT THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF PRO-RESOLVING MEDIATORS IN CANCER PREVENTION REMAINS STILL ELUSIVE. IN SEARCHING FOR AN EFFICACIOUS WAY TO PREVENT CHRONIC INFLAMMATION-ASSOCIATED CANCER, THE PRO-RESOLVING SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION PATHWAYS AND THEIR REGULATORS SHOULD BE UNRAVELED. 2013 10 2320 47 EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION AND M2 MACROPHAGE POLARIZATION AS NEW POTENTIAL OMEGA-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACID TARGETS IN COLON INFLAMMATION AND CANCER. INTRODUCTION: IT HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY CLEAR THAT DIETARY HABITS MAY AFFECT THE RISK/PROGRESSION OF CHRONIC DISEASES WITH A PATHOGENIC INFLAMMATORY COMPONENT, SUCH AS COLORECTAL CANCER. CONSIDERABLE ATTENTION HAS BEEN DIRECTED TOWARD THE ABILITY OF NUTRITIONAL AGENTS TO TARGET KEY MOLECULAR PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN THESE INFLAMMATORY-RELATED DISEASES. AREAS COVERED: OMEGA-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS (PUFA) AND THEIR OXIDATIVE METABOLITES HAVE ATTRACTED CONSIDERABLE INTEREST AS POSSIBLE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND ANTI-CANCER AGENTS, ESPECIALLY IN AREAS SUCH AS THE LARGE BOWEL, WHERE THE INFLUENCE OF ORALLY INTRODUCED SUBSTANCES IS HIGH AND TUMORS SHOW DERANGED PUFA PATTERNS. ON THIS BASIS, WE HAVE ANALYZED PRE-CLINICAL FINDINGS THAT HAVE RECENTLY REVEALED NEW INSIGHT INTO THE MOLECULAR PATHWAYS TARGETED BY OMEGA-3 PUFA. EXPERT OPINION: THE FINDINGS ANALYZED HEREIN DEMONSTRATE THAT OMEGA-3 PUFA MAY EXERT BENEFICIAL EFFECTS BY TARGETING THE EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION AND ALTERING M2 MACROPHAGE POLARIZATION DURING THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE. THESE MECHANISMS NEED TO BE BETTER EXPLORED IN THE LARGE BOWEL, AND FURTHER STUDIES COULD BETTER CLARIFY THEIR ROLE AND THE POTENTIAL OF DIETARY INTERVENTIONS WITH OMEGA-3 PUFA IN THE LARGE BOWEL. THE EPIGENOMIC MECHANISM IS DISCUSSED IN VIEW OF THE POTENTIAL OF OMEGA-3 PUFA TO ENHANCE THE EFFICACY OF OTHER AGENTS USED IN THE THERAPY OF COLORECTAL CANCER. 2016 11 5010 39 PEROXIDATION OF LINOLEIC, ARACHIDONIC AND OLEIC ACID IN RELATION TO THE INDUCTION OF OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE AND CYTOGENETIC EFFECTS. IN THE PRESENT STUDY, THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF THE POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS LINOLEIC AND ARACHIDONIC ACID IN THE CHEMICAL INDUCTION OF CARCINOGENESIS HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED. ANALYSIS OF 7,8-DIHYDRO-8-OXO-2'-DEOXYGUANOSINE (8-OXODG) LEVELS IN 2'-DEOXYGUANOSINE (DG) AND ISOLATED DNA HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT LINOLEIC AND ARACHIDONIC ACID ARE CAPABLE OF INDUCING THIS SPECIFIC GENOTOXIC DAMAGE. THIS EFFECT APPEARS TO BE RELATED TO THE DEGREE OF FATTY ACID UNSATURATION, SINCE IT WAS NOT INDUCED BY MONOUNSATURATED OLEIC ACID. ENZYMATIC PEROXIDATION OF LINOLEIC AND ARACHIDONIC ACID RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE. STUDIES ON THE INTERFERENCE OF RADICAL SCAVENGERS WITH THE INDUCTION OF 8-OXODG IN COMBINATION WITH ELECTRON SPIN RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY DEMONSTRATED THAT THE SUPEROXIDE ANION WAS GENERATED DURING PEROXIDATION OF THESE FATTY ACIDS AND THAT SINGLET OXYGEN IS MOST LIKELY INVOLVED IN THE FORMATION OF OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE. THE LEVEL OF OXIDATIVE DAMAGE IN DG AND SINGLE-STRANDED DNA WAS HIGHER AS COMPARED TO THAT IN NATIVE DNA AFTER EQUIMOLAR TREATMENT. EXPOSURE OF HUMAN LYMPHOCYTES TO LINOLEIC OR ARACHIDONIC ACID DID NOT RESULT IN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN LEVELS OF 8-OXODG. THIS MAY INDICATE THAT THE RATE OF INTRACELLULAR PEROXIDATION IS RELATIVELY LOW AND/OR THAT NUCLEAR DNA IN INTACT CELLS IS EFFECTIVELY PROTECTED AGAINST GENETIC DAMAGE INDUCED BY REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES. IT IS THEREFORE CONCLUDED THAT RELATIVELY SHORT PERIODS OF LINOLEIC OR ARACHIDONIC ACID ADMINISTRATION ARE NOT LIKELY TO IMPOSE A DIRECT GENOTOXIC RISK. IT CAN, HOWEVER, NOT BE EXCLUDED THAT CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS INDUCES OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE OR IS RELATED TO CANCER RISK BY EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, AS IS ALSO INDICATED BY THE OBSERVED CYTOTOXIC EFFECTS OF LINOLEIC AND ARACHIDONIC ACID. 1994 12 5720 32 SIRTUINS LINK INFLAMMATION AND METABOLISM. SIRTUINS (SIRT), FIRST DISCOVERED IN YEAST AS NAD+ DEPENDENT EPIGENETIC AND METABOLIC REGULATORS, HAVE COMPARABLE ACTIVITIES IN HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY AND DISEASE. MOUNTING EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THAT THE SEVEN-MEMBER MAMMALIAN SIRTUIN FAMILY (SIRT1-7) GUARD HOMEOSTASIS BY SENSING BIOENERGY NEEDS AND RESPONDING BY MAKING ALTERATIONS IN THE CELL NUTRIENTS. SIRTUINS PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN RESTORING HOMEOSTASIS DURING STRESS RESPONSES. INFLAMMATION IS DESIGNED TO "DEFEND AND MEND" AGAINST THE INVADING ORGANISMS. EMERGING EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THAT METABOLISM AND BIOENERGY REPROGRAMMING DIRECT THE SEQUENTIAL COURSE OF INFLAMMATION; FAILURE OF HOMEOSTASIS RETRIEVAL RESULTS IN MANY CHRONIC AND ACUTE INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. ANABOLIC GLYCOLYSIS QUICKLY INDUCED (COMPARED TO OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION) FOR ROS AND ATP GENERATION IS NEEDED FOR IMMUNE ACTIVATION TO "DEFEND" AGAINST INVADING MICROORGANISMS. LIPOLYSIS/FATTY ACID OXIDATION, ESSENTIAL FOR CELLULAR PROTECTION/HIBERNATION AND CELL SURVIVAL IN ORDER TO "MEND," LEADS TO IMMUNE REPRESSION. ACUTE/CHRONIC INFLAMMATIONS ARE LINKED TO ALTERED GLYCOLYSIS AND FATTY ACID OXIDATION, AT LEAST IN PART, BY NAD+ DEPENDENT FUNCTION OF SIRTUINS. THERAPEUTICALLY TARGETING SIRTUINS MAY PROVIDE A NEW CLASS OF INFLAMMATION AND IMMUNE REGULATORS. THIS REVIEW DISCUSSES HOW SIRTUINS INTEGRATE METABOLISM, BIOENERGETICS, AND IMMUNITY DURING INFLAMMATION AND HOW SIRTUIN-DIRECTED TREATMENT IMPROVES OUTCOME IN CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES AND IN THE EXTREME STRESS RESPONSE OF SEPSIS. 2016 13 375 25 AN ENERGETIC VIEW OF STRESS: FOCUS ON MITOCHONDRIA. ENERGY IS REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN LIFE AND ENABLE STRESS ADAPTATION. AT THE CELLULAR LEVEL, ENERGY IS LARGELY DERIVED FROM MITOCHONDRIA - UNIQUE MULTIFUNCTIONAL ORGANELLES WITH THEIR OWN GENOME. FOUR MAIN ELEMENTS CONNECT MITOCHONDRIA TO STRESS: (1) ENERGY IS REQUIRED AT THE MOLECULAR, (EPI)GENETIC, CELLULAR, ORGANELLAR, AND SYSTEMIC LEVELS TO SUSTAIN COMPONENTS OF STRESS RESPONSES; (2) GLUCOCORTICOIDS AND OTHER STEROID HORMONES ARE PRODUCED AND METABOLIZED BY MITOCHONDRIA; (3) RECIPROCALLY, MITOCHONDRIA RESPOND TO NEUROENDOCRINE AND METABOLIC STRESS MEDIATORS; AND (4) EXPERIMENTALLY MANIPULATING MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTIONS ALTERS PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIORAL RESPONSES TO PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS. THUS, MITOCHONDRIA ARE ENDOCRINE ORGANELLES THAT PROVIDE BOTH THE ENERGY AND SIGNALS THAT ENABLE AND DIRECT STRESS ADAPTATION. NEURAL CIRCUITS REGULATING SOCIAL BEHAVIOR - AS WELL AS PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL PROCESSES - ARE ALSO INFLUENCED BY MITOCHONDRIAL ENERGETICS. AN INTEGRATIVE VIEW OF STRESS AS AN ENERGY-DRIVEN PROCESS OPENS NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO STUDY MECHANISMS OF ADAPTATION AND REGULATION ACROSS THE LIFESPAN. 2018 14 6374 50 THE ROLE OF MITOCHONDRIA IN MYOCARDIAL DAMAGE CAUSED BY ENERGY METABOLISM DISORDERS: FROM MECHANISMS TO THERAPEUTICS. MYOCARDIAL DAMAGE IS THE MOST SERIOUS PATHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCE OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND AN IMPORTANT REASON FOR THEIR HIGH MORTALITY. IN RECENT YEARS, BECAUSE OF THE HIGH PREVALENCE OF SYSTEMIC ENERGY METABOLISM DISORDERS (E.G., OBESITY, DIABETES MELLITUS, AND METABOLIC SYNDROME), COMPLICATIONS OF MYOCARDIAL DAMAGE CAUSED BY THESE DISORDERS HAVE ATTRACTED WIDESPREAD ATTENTION. ENERGY METABOLISM DISORDERS ARE INDEPENDENT OF TRADITIONAL INJURY-RELATED RISK FACTORS, SUCH AS ISCHEMIA, HYPOXIA, TRAUMA, AND INFECTION. AN IMBALANCE OF MYOCARDIAL METABOLIC FLEXIBILITY AND MYOCARDIAL ENERGY DEPLETION ARE USUALLY THE INITIAL CHANGES OF MYOCARDIAL INJURY CAUSED BY ENERGY METABOLISM DISORDERS, AND ABNORMAL MORPHOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL DESTRUCTION OF THE MITOCHONDRIA ARE THEIR IMPORTANT FEATURES. SPECIFICALLY, MITOCHONDRIA ARE THE CENTERS OF ENERGY METABOLISM, AND RECENT EVIDENCE HAS SHOWN THAT DECREASED MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION, CAUSED BY AN IMBALANCE IN MITOCHONDRIAL QUALITY CONTROL, MAY PLAY A KEY ROLE IN MYOCARDIAL INJURY CAUSED BY ENERGY METABOLISM DISORDERS. UNDER CHRONIC ENERGY STRESS, MITOCHONDRIA UNDERGO PATHOLOGICAL FISSION, WHILE MITOPHAGY, MITOCHONDRIAL FUSION, AND BIOGENESIS ARE INHIBITED, AND MITOCHONDRIAL PROTEIN BALANCE AND TRANSFER ARE DISTURBED, RESULTING IN THE ACCUMULATION OF NONFUNCTIONAL AND DAMAGED MITOCHONDRIA. CONSEQUENTLY, DAMAGED MITOCHONDRIA LEAD TO MYOCARDIAL ENERGY DEPLETION AND THE ACCUMULATION OF LARGE AMOUNTS OF REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES, FURTHER AGGRAVATING THE IMBALANCE IN MITOCHONDRIAL QUALITY CONTROL AND FORMING A VICIOUS CYCLE. IN ADDITION, IMPAIRED MITOCHONDRIA COORDINATE CALCIUM HOMEOSTASIS IMBALANCE, AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS PARTICIPATE IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF MYOCARDIAL DAMAGE. THESE PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES INDUCE RAPID PROGRESSION OF MYOCARDIAL DAMAGE, EVENTUALLY LEADING TO HEART FAILURE OR SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH. TO INTERVENE MORE SPECIFICALLY IN THE MYOCARDIAL DAMAGE CAUSED BY METABOLIC DISORDERS, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE SPECIFIC ROLE OF MITOCHONDRIA IN THIS CONTEXT IN DETAIL. ACCORDINGLY, PROMISING THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES HAVE BEEN PROPOSED. WE ALSO SUMMARIZE THE EXISTING THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES TO PROVIDE A REFERENCE FOR CLINICAL TREATMENT AND DEVELOPING NEW THERAPIES. 2023 15 6166 47 THE GLUTATHIONE SYSTEM: A NEW DRUG TARGET IN NEUROIMMUNE DISORDERS. GLUTATHIONE (GSH) HAS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN CELLULAR SIGNALING AND ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSES EITHER BY REACTING DIRECTLY WITH REACTIVE OXYGEN OR NITROGEN SPECIES OR BY ACTING AS AN ESSENTIAL COFACTOR FOR GSH S-TRANSFERASES AND GLUTATHIONE PEROXIDASES. GSH ACTING IN CONCERT WITH ITS DEPENDENT ENZYMES, KNOWN AS THE GLUTATHIONE SYSTEM, IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DETOXIFICATION OF REACTIVE OXYGEN AND NITROGEN SPECIES (ROS/RNS) AND ELECTROPHILES PRODUCED BY XENOBIOTICS. ADEQUATE LEVELS OF GSH ARE ESSENTIAL FOR THE OPTIMAL FUNCTIONING OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IN GENERAL AND T CELL ACTIVATION AND DIFFERENTIATION IN PARTICULAR. GSH IS A UBIQUITOUS REGULATOR OF THE CELL CYCLE PER SE. GSH ALSO HAS CRUCIAL FUNCTIONS IN THE BRAIN AS AN ANTIOXIDANT, NEUROMODULATOR, NEUROTRANSMITTER, AND ENABLER OF NEURON SURVIVAL. DEPLETION OF GSH LEADS TO EXACERBATION OF DAMAGE BY OXIDATIVE AND NITROSATIVE STRESS; HYPERNITROSYLATION; INCREASED LEVELS OF PROINFLAMMATORY MEDIATORS AND INFLAMMATORY POTENTIAL; DYSFUNCTIONS OF INTRACELLULAR SIGNALING NETWORKS, E.G., P53, NUCLEAR FACTOR-KAPPAB, AND JANUS KINASES; DECREASED CELL PROLIFERATION AND DNA SYNTHESIS; INACTIVATION OF COMPLEX I OF THE ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN; ACTIVATION OF CYTOCHROME C AND THE APOPTOTIC MACHINERY; BLOCKADE OF THE METHIONINE CYCLE; AND COMPROMISED EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION. AS SUCH, GSH DEPLETION HAS MARKED CONSEQUENCES FOR THE HOMEOSTATIC CONTROL OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, OXIDATIVE AND NITROSATIVE STRESS (O&NS) PATHWAYS, REGULATION OF ENERGY PRODUCTION, AND MITOCHONDRIAL SURVIVAL AS WELL. GSH DEPLETION AND CONCOMITANT INCREASE IN O&NS AND MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTIONS PLAY A ROLE IN THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF DIVERSE NEUROIMMUNE DISORDERS, INCLUDING DEPRESSION, MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS/CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME AND PARKINSON'S DISEASE, SUGGESTING THAT DEPLETED GSH IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE DISEASES. THERAPEUTICAL INTERVENTIONS THAT AIM TO INCREASE GSH CONCENTRATIONS IN VIVO INCLUDE N-ACETYL CYSTEINE; NRF-2 ACTIVATION VIA HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY; DIMETHYL FUMARATE; PHYTOCHEMICALS, INCLUDING CURCUMIN, RESVERATROL, AND CINNAMON; AND FOLATE SUPPLEMENTATION. 2014 16 6467 43 TISSUE-SPECIFIC EFFECTS OF EXERCISE AS NAD(+) -BOOSTING STRATEGY: CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES. NICOTINAMIDE ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE (NAD(+) ) IS AN EVOLUTIONARILY HIGHLY CONSERVED COENZYME WITH MULTI-FACETED CELL FUNCTIONS, INCLUDING ENERGY METABOLISM, MOLECULAR SIGNALING PROCESSES, EPIGENETIC REGULATION, AND DNA REPAIR. SINCE THE DISCOVERY THAT LOWER NAD(+) LEVELS ARE A SHARED CHARACTERISTIC OF VARIOUS DISEASES AND AGING PER SE, SEVERAL NAD(+) -BOOSTING STRATEGIES HAVE EMERGED. OTHER THAN PHARMACOLOGICAL AND NUTRITIONAL APPROACHES, EXERCISE IS THOUGHT TO RESTORE NAD(+) HOMEOSTASIS THROUGH METABOLIC ADAPTION TO CHRONICALLY RECURRING STATES OF INCREASED ENERGY DEMAND. IN THIS REVIEW WE DISCUSS THE IMPACT OF ACUTE EXERCISE AND EXERCISE TRAINING ON TISSUE-SPECIFIC NAD(+) METABOLISM OF RODENTS AND HUMANS TO HIGHLIGHT THE POTENTIAL VALUE AS NAD(+) -BOOSTING STRATEGY. BY INTERCONNECTING RESULTS FROM DIFFERENT INVESTIGATIONS, WE AIM TO DRAW ATTENTION TO TISSUE-SPECIFIC ALTERATIONS IN NAD(+) METABOLISM AND THE ASSOCIATED IMPLICATIONS FOR WHOLE-BODY NAD(+) HOMEOSTASIS. ACUTE EXERCISE LED TO PROFOUND ALTERATIONS OF INTRACELLULAR NAD(+) METABOLISM IN VARIOUS INVESTIGATIONS, WITH THE MAGNITUDE AND DIRECTION OF CHANGES BEING STRONGLY DEPENDENT ON THE APPLIED EXERCISE MODALITY, CELL TYPE, AND INVESTIGATED ANIMAL MODEL OR HUMAN POPULATION. EXERCISE TRAINING ELEVATED NAD(+) LEVELS AND NAD(+) METABOLISM ENZYMES IN VARIOUS TISSUES. BASED ON THESE RESULTS, WE DISCUSS MOLECULAR MECHANISMS THAT MIGHT CONNECT ACUTE EXERCISE-INDUCED DISRUPTIONS OF NAD(+) /NADH HOMEOSTASIS TO CHRONIC EXERCISE ADAPTIONS IN NAD(+) METABOLISM. TAKING THIS HYPOTHESIS-DRIVEN APPROACH, WE HOPE TO INSPIRE FUTURE RESEARCH ON THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF EXERCISE AS NAD(+) -MODIFYING LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION, THEREBY ELUCIDATING THE POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC VALUE IN NAD(+) -RELATED PATHOLOGIES. 2023 17 1066 58 CLINICAL USE OF AMINO ACIDS AS DIETARY SUPPLEMENT: PROS AND CONS. NITROGEN SUPPLY IS PIVOTAL FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF LIFE. AMINO ACIDS CAN BE UTILIZED TO SYNTHESIZE BOTH GLUCOSE AND LIPIDS. THE OPPOSITE, I.E., PRODUCTION OF AMINO ACIDS FROM EITHER ONE OF THEM, IS NOT POSSIBLE IN THE ABSENCE OF OTHER AMINO ACIDS AS DONORS OF NITROGEN. THE QUALITY OF AMINO ACID CONTENT IN PROTEIN HAS BEEN RE-EVALUATED RECENTLY, AND THE RELEVANCE OF ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY UNDERLINED. ESSENTIAL AMINO ACID REQUIREMENTS IN DIFFERENT MAMMALS ARE NOT IDENTICAL, AND RATIOS AMONG THEM SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN PROJECTING AN EFFICIENT FORMULATION. RECENT RESEARCH HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT GENES RESPOND TO DIFFERENT QUALITIES AND QUANTITIES OF NUTRITIONAL SUPPLY, AND INCREASED PROVISION OF ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS INCREASES LIFESPAN IN ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS THROUGH MITOCHONDRIOGENESIS AND MAINTENANCE OF ELEVATED RATES OF SYNTHESIS OF ANTI-OXIDANT MOLECULES. MOREOVER, GENETIC EXPRESSION OF KEY CONTROLLERS OF SYNTHESIS, LIKE MTOR, MAY BE PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT FOR UNDERSTANDING SKELETAL MUSCLE MAINTENANCE. LOSSES OF MUSCLE MASS AND IMPAIRED IMMUNE FUNCTION ARE RELATED TO REDUCED PROTEIN SUPPLY, AND THERE IS INCREASING EVIDENCE THAT REGULAR ESSENTIAL AMINO ACID INTAKE AS PART OF AN ORAL DIET IS EFFECTIVE IN REVERSING MUSCLE CATABOLISM, PROMOTING MUSCLE ANABOLISM, AND RESTORING IMMUNOLOGICAL FUNCTION. THEREFORE, THE USE OF AMINO ACIDS AS SUPPLEMENTS TO DIET WOULD BE EXPANDING IN THE NEAR FUTURE. IS THIS SAFE? FEW DATA ARE AVAILABLE ON AMINO ACID TOXICITY, AND ONLY ONE ESSENTIAL AMINO ACID MAY BE CONSIDERED TO HAVE CLINICALLY RELEVANT TOXICITY: METHIONINE, BECAUSE IT IS TRANSFORMED INTO A TOXIC INTERMEDIATE, HOMOCYSTEINE, WHEN CYSTEINE SYNTHESIS IS REQUIRED BY METABOLIC NEEDS. MATCHING OF STOICHIOMETRIC RATIOS BETWEEN METHIONINE AND CYSTEINE MAY SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF SUPPLYING SUFFICIENT AMOUNTS OF SULFUR TO THE BODY. ARGININE AND GLUTAMINE ARE TWO NON-ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS THAN CAN BECOME "CONDITIONALLY ESSENTIAL" BECAUSE OF ELEVATED NEEDS DURING PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND METABOLISM MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THEIR CONCENTRATIONS AT SUFFICIENT LEVELS TO MATCH METABOLIC REQUIREMENTS. CHRONIC EXOGENOUS ARGININE SUPPLEMENTATION HAS NOT PROVEN TO EXERT POSITIVE CLINICAL EFFECTS IN DIFFERENT TRIALS, AND SEQUENTIAL ARTICULATION OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF INTRODUCTION OF ARGININE-DRIVEN TRANSCRIPTIONAL, TRANSLATIONAL, AND EPIGENETIC ADAPTATIONS MAY GIVE US A KEY FOR INTERPRETING THOSE PUZZLING RESULTS. 2011 18 4205 50 METABOLO-EPIGENETIC INTERPLAY PROVIDES TARGETED NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS IN CHRONIC DISEASES AND AGEING. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ARE CHEMICAL MODIFICATIONS THAT AFFECT GENE EXPRESSION WITHOUT ALTERING DNA SEQUENCES. IN PARTICULAR, EPIGENETIC CHEMICAL MODIFICATIONS CAN OCCUR ON HISTONE PROTEINS -MAINLY ACETYLATION, METHYLATION-, AND ON DNA AND RNA MOLECULES -MAINLY METHYLATION-. ADDITIONAL MECHANISMS, SUCH AS RNA-MEDIATED REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION AND DETERMINANTS OF THE GENOMIC ARCHITECTURE CAN ALSO AFFECT GENE EXPRESSION. IMPORTANTLY, DEPENDING ON THE CELLULAR CONTEXT AND ENVIRONMENT, EPIGENETIC PROCESSES CAN DRIVE DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMS AS WELL AS FUNCTIONAL PLASTICITY. HOWEVER, MISBALANCED EPIGENETIC REGULATION CAN RESULT IN DISEASE, PARTICULARLY IN THE CONTEXT OF METABOLIC DISEASES, CANCER, AND AGEING. NON-COMMUNICABLE CHRONIC DISEASES (NCCD) AND AGEING SHARE COMMON FEATURES INCLUDING ALTERED METABOLISM, SYSTEMIC META-INFLAMMATION, DYSFUNCTIONAL IMMUNE SYSTEM RESPONSES, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS, AMONG OTHERS. IN THIS SCENARIO, UNBALANCED DIETS, SUCH AS HIGH SUGAR AND HIGH SATURATED FATTY ACIDS CONSUMPTION, TOGETHER WITH SEDENTARY HABITS, ARE RISK FACTORS IMPLICATED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NCCD AND PREMATURE AGEING. THE NUTRITIONAL AND METABOLIC STATUS OF INDIVIDUALS INTERACT WITH EPIGENETICS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS. THUS, IT IS CRUCIAL TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN MODULATE EPIGENETIC MARKS THROUGH BOTH LIFESTYLE HABITS AND TARGETED CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS -INCLUDING FASTING MIMICKING DIETS, NUTRACEUTICALS, AND BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS- WHICH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO RESTORE THE METABOLIC HOMEOSTASIS IN NCCD. HERE, WE FIRST DESCRIBE KEY METABOLITES FROM CELLULAR METABOLIC PATHWAYS USED AS SUBSTRATES TO "WRITE" THE EPIGENETIC MARKS; AND COFACTORS THAT MODULATE THE ACTIVITY OF THE EPIGENETIC ENZYMES; THEN, WE BRIEFLY SHOW HOW METABOLIC AND EPIGENETIC IMBALANCES MAY RESULT IN DISEASE; AND, FINALLY, WE SHOW SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS - DIET BASED INTERVENTIONS, BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS, AND NUTRACEUTICALS- AND EXERCISE TO COUNTERACT EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS. 2023 19 4786 57 NUTRITION AND HEALTH DURING MID-LIFE: SEARCHING FOR SOLUTIONS AND MEETING CHALLENGES FOR THE AGING POPULATION. INTERACTIONS BETWEEN GENETIC (GENOME) AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS (EPIGENOME) OPERATE DURING A PERSON'S ENTIRE LIFESPAN. THE AGING PROCESS IS ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERAL CELLULAR AND ORGANIC FUNCTIONAL ALTERATIONS THAT, AT THE END, CAUSE MULTI-ORGANIC CELL FAILURE. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OF AGING ARE MODIFIABLE BY APPROPRIATE PREVENTIVE ACTIONS MEDIATED BY SIRTUINS, CALORIC INPUT, DIET COMPONENTS, ADIPOSE TISSUE-RELATED INFLAMMATORY REACTIONS, AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. THE MEDITERRANEAN LIFESTYLE HAS BEEN FOR MANY MILLENNIA A DAILY HABIT FOR PEOPLE IN WESTERN CIVILIZATIONS LIVING AROUND THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA WHO WORKED INTENSIVELY AND SURVIVED WITH VERY FEW SEASONAL FOODS. A HIGH ADHERENCE TO THE TRADITIONAL MEDITERRANEAN DIET IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOW MORTALITY (HIGHER LONGEVITY) AND REDUCED RISK OF DEVELOPING CHRONIC DISEASES, INCLUDING CANCER, THE METABOLIC SYNDROME, DEPRESSION AND CARDIOVASCULAR AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES. REPORTS INDICATE THAT SOME DIETARY COMPONENTS, SUCH AS OLIVE OIL, ANTIOXIDANTS, OMEGA-3 AND -6 POLYUNSATURATED ACIDS, POLYPHENOLS AND FLAVONOIDS, MEDIATE BENEFICIAL ANTI-AGING EFFECTS (ANTI-CHRONIC DISEASES AND INCREASED LONGEVITY). EQUALLY, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DISPLAYS A POSITIVE EFFECT, PRODUCING CALORIC CONSUMPTION AND REGULATION OF ADIPOSE AND PANCREATIC FUNCTION. THE PREDICTIVE STRENGTH OF SOME FOOD PATTERNS MAY BE A WAY OF DEVELOPING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FOOD AND HEALTH POLICIES. THIS PAPER WILL DISCUSS SEVERAL WAYS OF IMPROVING HEALTH DURING MID-LIFE, FOCUSING ON CERTAIN GROUPS OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS AND HEALTHY HABITS WHICH MAY REDUCE OR PREVENT AGE-RELATED CHRONIC DISEASES. 2013 20 4380 41 MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. CONTROL OF EXCESSIVE MITOCHONDRIAL OXIDATIVE STRESS COULD PROVIDE NEW TARGETS FOR BOTH PREVENTIVE AND THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATION OR ANY PATHOLOGY THAT DEVELOPS UNDER AN INFLAMMATORY SCENARIO, SUCH AS RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA). INCREASING EVIDENCE HAS DEMONSTRATED THE ROLE OF MITOCHONDRIAL ALTERATIONS IN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES MAINLY DUE TO THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN METABOLISM AND INNATE IMMUNITY, BUT ALSO IN THE MODULATION OF INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE OF RESIDENT CELLS, SUCH AS SYNOVIOCYTES. THUS, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION DERIVED FROM SEVERAL DANGER SIGNALS COULD ACTIVATE TRICARBOXYLIC ACID (TCA) DISRUPTION, THEREBY FAVORING A VICIOUS CYCLE OF OXIDATIVE/MITOCHONDRIAL STRESS. MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION CAN ACT THROUGH MODULATING INNATE IMMUNITY VIA REDOX-SENSITIVE INFLAMMATORY PATHWAYS OR DIRECT ACTIVATION OF THE INFLAMMASOME. BESIDES, MITOCHONDRIA ALSO HAVE A CENTRAL ROLE IN REGULATING CELL DEATH, WHICH IS DEEPLY ALTERED IN RA. ADDITIONALLY, MULTIPLE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT PATHOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN RA CAN BE SHAPED BY EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND THAT IN TURN, MITOCHONDRIA ARE INVOLVED IN EPIGENETIC REGULATION. FINALLY, WE WILL DISCUSS ABOUT THE INVOLVEMENT OF SOME DIETARY COMPONENTS IN THE ONSET AND PROGRESSION OF RA. 2022