Phenolic Compounds Impact on Rheumatoid Arthritis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Microbiota Modulation

Abstract

Non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) are nowadays the principal cause of death, especially in most industrialized nations. These illnesses have increased exponentially with the consumption of diets very high in fat and sugar, not to mention stress and physical inactivity among other factors. The potential impact of suboptimal diets on NCDs’ morbidity and mortality rates brings to the forefront the necessity for a new way of improving dietary habits. The literature provides extensive scientific work that presents evidence that phenolic compounds from diets have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activities that impact human health. Gut microbiota modulation by some phenolic compounds leads to favorable changes in abundance, diversity, and in the immune system. However, polyphenol’s limited bioavailability needs to be overcome, highlighting their application in new delivery systems and providing their health benefits in well-established ways such as health maintenance, treatment or adjuvant to conventional pharmacological treatments. In this context, novel dietary approaches, including new food supplements, have emerged to prevent diseases and preserve health.

Dietary Polyphenols and Their Role in Oxidative Stress-Induced Human Diseases: Insights Into Protective Effects, Antioxidant Potentials and Mechanism(s) of Action

“…The production of ROS in injured joints promotes inflammatory reactions. The cytokines generated play a role in the immunoregulatory and tissue damage processes developing clinical manifestations in RA ( Direito et al, 2021 ). As human antioxidant defense systems are inefficient, exogenous antioxidants must be used to fight excess ROS ( Sung et al, 2019 ; Direito et al, 2021 ).…”

Effects of Osthole on Inflammatory Gene Expression and Cytokine Secretion in Histamine-Induced Inflammation in the Caco-2 Cell Line

“…The number of patients suffering from inflammation-associated intestinal disorders has increased dramatically in developed countries, and a variety of factors are known to influence this phenomenon [44][45][46]. Therefore, new anti-inflammatory agents need to be investigated and tested as potential therapeutics.…”

Polyphenols Targeting MAPK Mediated Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis

“…The results of numerous studies conducted with animal and cell models have shown the potential effectiveness of polyphenols as adjuvant treatments in the global management of RA. However, only a few clinical trials involving a small number of patients have been conducted to determine the possibility of extrapolating the results to human beings, so further research is needed in order to assess their efficacy and safety profiles [148].…”