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Nutrition and Immunity pp 437–452Cite as

Immunomodulatory Effects of Flavonoids: Possible Induction of T CD4+ Regulatory Cells Through Suppression of mTOR Pathway Signaling Activity

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Abstract

The increasing rate of autoimmune disorders and cancer in recent years has been a controversial issue in all aspects of prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Among dietary factors, flavonoids have specific immunomodulatory effects that might be of importance to several cancers. Over different types of immune cells, T lymphocytes play a critical role in protecting the immune system as well as in the pathogenesis of specific autoimmune diseases. One of the important mediators of metabolism and immune system is mTOR, especially in T lymphocytes. In the current review, we assessed the effects of flavonoids on the immune system and then their impact on the mTOR pathway. Flavonoids can suppress mTOR activity and are consequently able to induce the T regulatory subset.

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Abbreviations

2-DG:

2-Deoxyglucose

AD:

Atopic dermatitis

AhR:

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor

AMPK:

AMP-activated, protein kinase

EGF:

Epidermal growth factor

FICZ:

5,11-Dihydroindolo 3,2 bcarbazole-6-carboxaldehyde

IFN:

Interferon

IL:

Interleukin

LPS:

Lipopolysaccharide

mTORC1&2:

Mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1&2

PTEN:

Phosphatase and tensin homolog

T CD4+ or Th:

T helper

T CD8+ or Tc:

T cytotoxic

TCA:

Tricarboxylic acid

Teff:

T effector cell

TNF:

Tumor necrosis factor

Treg:

T regulatory cell

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Conflicts of Interest

Authors declared no personal or financial conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

    Aysooda Hosseinzade

  2. Students’ Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Omid Sadeghi

  3. Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Omid Sadeghi & Ahmad Esmaillzadeh

  4. Department of Nutrition, School of Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

    Akram Naghdipour Biregani

  5. Department of Pharmaceutical Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Sepideh Soukhtehzari

  6. Department of Chemistry, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, USA

    Gabriel S. Brandt

  7. Obesity and Eating Habits Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Molecular-Cellular Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Ahmad Esmaillzadeh

  8. Food Security Research Center, Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Ahmad Esmaillzadeh

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  1. Aysooda Hosseinzade
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  2. Omid Sadeghi
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  3. Akram Naghdipour Biregani
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  4. Sepideh Soukhtehzari
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  5. Gabriel S. Brandt
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  6. Ahmad Esmaillzadeh
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Correspondence to Ahmad Esmaillzadeh .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department Cellular and Molecular Nutrition, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Dietitians and Nutrition Experts Team (DiNET), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Mahmoudi

  2. Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran

    Nima Rezaei

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Hosseinzade, A., Sadeghi, O., Biregani, A.N., Soukhtehzari, S., Brandt, G.S., Esmaillzadeh, A. (2019). Immunomodulatory Effects of Flavonoids: Possible Induction of T CD4+ Regulatory Cells Through Suppression of mTOR Pathway Signaling Activity. In: Mahmoudi, M., Rezaei, N. (eds) Nutrition and Immunity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16073-9_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16073-9_22

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