Diet-derived fatty acids (FAs) are essential sources of energy and fundamental structural components of cells. They also play important roles in the modulation of immune responses in health and disease. Saturated and unsaturated FAs influence the effector and regulatory functions of innate and adaptive immune cells by changing membrane composition and fluidity and by acting through specific receptors. Impaired balance of saturated/unsaturated FAs, as well as n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated FAs has significant consequences on immune system homeostasis, contributing to the development of many allergic, autoimmune, and metabolic diseases. In this paper, we discuss up-to-date knowledge and the clinical relevance of the influence of dietary FAs on the biology, homeostasis, and functions of epithelial cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils, innate lymphoid cells, T cells and B cells. Additionally, we review the effects of dietary FAs on the pathogenesis of many diseases, including asthma, allergic rhinitis, food allergy, atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis as well as type 1 and 2 diabetes.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in the presence of O2 by mitochondria, phagocytic cells, peroxisomes, and cytochrome P450 enzymes under physiological conditions, may play a dual function in the human organism. On the one hand, they participate in cell signal transduction cascades, leading to the activation of some transcription factors responsible for regulating of the expression of genes relevant for cell growth and differentiation. On the other hand, they cause oxidative damage of cellular DNA, protein and lipids, resulting in the initiation or development of numerous diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cataract, rheumatoid arthritis, or different neurodegenerative diseases. Both endogenous compounds (glutathione, ubiquinol, urate, bilirubin) and enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase) are engaged in the detoxification of ROS. In addition, numerous dietary components such as vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and polyphenols are thought to be involved in the antioxidant defense system. The present review article is focused on the summary and the assessment of research on the impact of dietary antioxidants in the prevention of chronic diseases, particularly cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

The eukaryotic nicotinamide riboside kinase (Nrk) pathway, which is induced in response to nerve damage and promotes replicative life span in yeast, converts nicotinamide riboside to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) by phosphorylation and adenylylation. Crystal structures of human Nrk1 bound to nucleoside and nucleotide substrates and products revealed an enzyme structurally similar to Rossmann fold metabolite kinases and allowed the identification of active site residues, which were shown to be essential for human Nrk1 and Nrk2 activity in vivo. Although the structures account for the 500-fold discrimination between nicotinamide riboside and pyrimidine nucleosides, no enzyme feature was identified to recognize the distinctive carboxamide group of nicotinamide riboside. Indeed, nicotinic acid riboside is a specific substrate of human Nrk enzymes and is utilized in yeast in a novel biosynthetic pathway that depends on Nrk and NAD⁺ synthetase. Additionally, nicotinic acid riboside is utilized in vivo by Urh1, Pnp1, and Preiss-Handler salvage. Thus, crystal structures of Nrk1 led to the identification of new pathways to NAD⁺. Biosynthesis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) is fundamental to cells, because NAD⁺ is an essential co-factor for metabolic and gene regulatory pathways that control life and death. Two vitamin precursors of NAD⁺ were discovered in 1938. We recently discovered nicotinamide riboside (NR) as a third vitamin precursor of NAD⁺ in eukaryotes, which extends yeast life span without caloric restriction and protects damaged dorsal root ganglion neurons from degeneration. Biosynthesis of NAD⁺ from NR requires enzyme activities in either of two pathways. In one pathway, specific NR kinases, including human Nrk1 and Nrk2, phosphorylate NR to nicotinamide mononucleotide. A second and Nrk-independent pathway is initiated by yeast nucleoside-splitting enzymes, Urh1 and Pnp1. We solved five crystal structures of human Nrk1 and, on the basis of co-crystal structures with substrates, suggested that the enzyme might be able to phosphorylate a novel compound, nicotinic acid riboside (NaR). We then demonstrated that human Nrk enzymes have dual specificity as NR/NaR kinases in vitro, and we established the ability of NaR to be used as a vitamin precursor of NAD⁺ via pathways initiated by Nrk1, Urh1, and Pnp1 in living yeast cells. Thus, starting from the structure of human Nrk1, we discovered a synthetic vitamin precursor of NAD⁺ and suggest the possibility that NaR is a normal NAD⁺ metabolite.

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) belong to the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. To date, three different PPAR isotypes, namely PPAR-α, -δ, and -γ, have been identified in vertebrates and have distinct patterns of tissue distribution. Like all nuclear receptors, the human PPAR-γ (hPPAR-γ) is characterized by a modular structure composed of an N-terminal A/B domain, a DNA-binding domain with two zinc fingers (C domain), a D domain, and a C-terminal ligand-binding domain (E/F domain). Human PPAR-γ exists in two protein isoforms, hPPAR-γ¹ and -γ², with different lengths of the N-terminal. The hPPAR-γ² isoform is predominantly expressed in adipose tissue, whereas hPPAR-γ¹ is relatively widely expressed. Human PPAR-γ plays a critical physiological role as a central transcriptional regulator of both adipogenic and lipogenic programs. Its transcriptional activity is induced by the binding of endogenous and synthetic lipophilic ligands, which has led to the determination of many roles for PPAR-γ in pathological states such as type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, inflammation, and cancer. Of the synthetic ligands, the thiazolidinedione class of insulin-sensitizing drugs (ciglitazone, pioglitazone, troglitazone, rosiglitazone) is employed clinically in patients with type 2 diabetes.

The stability of stereoregular oligo(nucleoside phosphorothioate)s (PS-oligos) in human plasma has been studied. 3‵-Exonuclease present in human plasma appeared to be R_P specific, that is, it cleaves internucleotide phosphorothioate linkages of [R_P]-configuration and not those of [S_P]-configuration. Therefore, PS-oligos containing all phosphorothioate internucleotide linkages of [R_P]-configuration [R_P-PS-oligos]) are more effectively degraded by the enzyme than PS-oligos prepared via nonstereocontrolled methods (so-called random mixture of diastereomers [Mix-PS-oligos]), whereas oligo(nucleoside phosphorothioate)s of [S_P]-configuration remain intact. The enzyme activity depends on the sequence of nucleobases. The presence of deoxycytidine units (three or more residues) at the 3‵-end of PS-oligo substrate significantly inhibits the enzyme activity.

The growing prevalence of age‐related diseases, especially type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cancer, has become global health and economic problems. Due to multifactorial nature of both diseases, their pathophysiology is not completely understood so far. Compelling evidence indicates that increased oxidative stress, resulting from an imbalance between production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and their clearance by antioxidant defense mechanisms, as well as the proinflammatory state contributes to the development and progression of the diseases. Curcumin (CUR; diferuloylmethane), a well‐known polyphenol derived from the rhizomes of turmeric Curcuma longa, has attracted a great deal of attention as a natural compound with beneficial antidiabetic and anticancer properties, partly due to its antioxidative and anti‐inflammatory actions. Although this polyphenolic compound is increasingly being recognized for its growing number of protective health effects, the precise molecular mechanisms through which it reduces diabetes‐ and cancer‐related pathological events have not been fully unraveled. Hence, CUR is the subject of intensive research in the fields Diabetology and Oncology as a potential candidate in the treatment of both T2DM and cancer, particularly since current therapeutic options for their treatment are not satisfactory in clinics. In this review, we summarize the recent progress made on the molecular targets and pathways involved in antidiabetic and anticancer activities of CUR that are responsible for its beneficial health effects.