Nutrigenetics of antioxidant enzymes and micronutrient needs in the context of viral infections.

Ruth Birk

doi:10.1017/s0954422420000244

Abstract

Sustaining adequate nutritional needs of a population is a challenging task in normal times and a priority in times of crisis. There is no 'one-size-fits-all' solution that addresses nutrition. In relevance to the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic crisis, viral infections in general and RNA viruses in particular are known to induce and promote oxidative stress, consequently increasing the body's demand for micronutrients, especially those related to antioxidant enzymic systems, thus draining the body of micronutrients, and so hindering the human body's ability to cope optimally with oxidative stress. Common polymorphisms in major antioxidant enzymes, with world population minor allele frequencies ranging from 0·5 to 50 %, are related to altered enzymic function, with substantial potential effects on the body's ability to cope with viral infection-induced oxidative stress. In this review we highlight common SNP of the major antioxidant enzymes relevant to nutritional components in the context of viral infections, namely: superoxide dismutases, glutathione peroxidases and catalase. We delineate functional polymorphisms in several human antioxidant enzymes that require, especially during a viral crisis, adequate and potentially additional nutritional support to cope with the pathological consequences of disease. Thus, in face of the COVID-19 pandemic, nutrition should be tightly monitored and possibly supplemented, with special attention to those carrying common polymorphisms in antioxidant enzymes.

Highlights

Tight interaction exists between nutrition and the immune system
This study suggests the potential benefit of SOD3 R213G SNP carriers, as they highly express SOD3 in the airway-lining fluid, ameliorating allergic airway inflammation by diminishing the innate immune response, including IL-33-mediated changes in innate lymphoid cells[79]
Antioxidant enzymes have common functional polymorphisms, with world population minor allele frequencies (MAF) ranging from 0·5 to 50 %. These polymorphisms result in altered enzymic function, requiring scientific and clinical attention to whether the intake of specific micronutrients, that serve as cofactors of antioxidant enzymes, should be adjusted to enable carriers of the polymorphisms to better cope with oxidative stress

Summary

Introduction

Tight interaction exists between nutrition and the immune system. The necessity of optimal nutrition for the function, efficiency and capability of the immune system to cope with external and internal insults is well known[1]. The frequencies of both allele -21A and -21AA CAT genotypes were higher among asthmatics than among healthy controls Low fruit and vegetable consumers (once per d or less) possessing the CAT -21AA genotype were at increased risk of both allergic and non-allergic asthma Inter-individual variation in antioxidant genes, including the CAT rs12807961 SNP, could interact with dietary intake to influence pancreatic cancer risk GPx1 Pro198Leu variant allele results in lesser response to the stimulation of GPx1 enzyme activity during Se supplementation compared with the common allele GPx1 Pro198Leu genotypes differentially affected the Se status and GPx activity Brazil nut supplementation significantly increased GPx1 mRNA expression only in subjects with the CC genotype[117] Homozygotes for the variant allele had higher colorectal cancer risk with alcohol consumption and homozygotes for the common allele with higher dietary vitamin C intake had reduced risk of colorectal cancer[120] Elevated adhesion levels in HUVEC and monocytes in individuals homozygous for the T-variant compared with carriers of the

Results

Conclusion