Despite the fact that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has still no recognised therapy, treatments which have proven at least mildly successful in improving IBD symptoms include anti-inflammatory drugs and monoclonal antibodies targeting pro-inflammatory cytokines. Resveratrol, a natural (poly)phenol found in grapes, red wine, grape juice and several species of berries, has been shown to prevent and ameliorate intestinal inflammation. Here, we discuss the role of resveratrol in the improvement of inflammatory disorders involving the intestinal mucosa. The present review covers three specific aspects of resveratrol in the framework of inflammation: (i) its content in food; (ii) its intestinal absorption and metabolism; and (iii) its anti-inflammatory effects in the intestinal mucosain vitroand in the very fewin vivostudies present to date. Actually, if several studies have shown that resveratrol may down-regulate mediators of intestinal immunity in rodent models, only two groups have performed intervention studies in human subjects using resveratrol as an agent to improve IBD conditions. The effects of resveratrol should be further investigated by conducting well-designed clinical trials, also taking into account different formulations for the delivery of the bioactive compound.

Inflammation is a major biological process regulating the interaction between organisms and the environment, including the diet. Because of the increase in chronic inflammatory diseases, and in light of the immune-regulatory properties of breastfeeding, the ability of dairy products to modulate inflammatory processes in humans is an important but unresolved issue. Here, we report a systematic review of 52 clinical trials investigating inflammatory markers in relation to the consumption of dairy products. An inflammatory score (IS) was defined to quantitatively evaluate this interaction. The IS was significantly positive for the entire data set, indicating an anti-inflammatory activity in humans. When the subjects were stratified according to their health status, the IS was strongly indicative of an anti-inflammatory activity in subjects with metabolic disorders and of a pro-inflammatory activity in subjects allergic to bovine milk. Stratifying the data by product categories associated both low-fat and high-fat products, as well as fermented products, with an anti-inflammatory activity. Remarkably, the literature is characterized by a large gap in knowledge on bioavailability of bioactive nutrients. Future research should thus better combine food and nutritional sciences to adequately follow the fate of these nutrients along the gastrointestinal and metabolic axes.

Fruits rich in polyphenols, such as pomegranates, have been shown to have health benefits relating to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Using data obtained from PubMed and Scopus, this article provides a brief overview of the therapeutic effects of pomegranate on chronic inflammatory diseases (CID) such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), metabolic and cardiovascular disorders, and other inflammatory-associated conditions, with an emphasis on fruit-derived juices. Most studies regarding the effects of pomegranate juice have focused on its ability to treat prostate cancer, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. However, pomegranate juice has shown therapeutic potential for many other illnesses. For instance, a small number of human clinical trials have highlighted the positive effects of pomegranate juice and extract consumption on cardiovascular health. The beneficial effects of pomegranate components have also been observed in animal models for respiratory diseases, RA, neurodegenerative disease, and hyperlipidaemia. Furthermore, there exists strong evidence from rodent models suggesting that pomegranate juice can be used to effectively treat IBD, and as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat CID. The effects of pomegranate intake should be further investigated by conducting larger and more well-defined human trials.

Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) function not only by altering membrane lipid composition, cellular metabolism, signal transduction, but possess also effects on gene expression by regulating the activity/abundance of different nuclear transcription factors: peroxisome proliferator activated receptors, retinoid X receptors, liver X receptors, hepatic nuclear factors-4a, and sterol regulatory binding proteins 1 and 2. PUFAs regulate the expression of genes in various tissues, including the liver, heart, adipose tissue, and brain, playing a major role in carbohydrate, fatty acid, triglyceride, and cholesterol metabolism. Before binding to transcription factors, PUFAs must be absorbed in the intestine and delivered to cells, and then they must enter the cell and the nucleus. PUFA concentration within the cell depends on many different factors, and regulate their possibility to act as transcription modulators. The aim of this review is to summarize recent knowledge about PUFAs destiny from dietto nuclear factors binding, examining the different variables which can modulate their interaction with nuclear factors themselves and therefore their effect on gene expression.