The Chelating Ability of Plant Polyphenols Can Affect Iron Homeostasis and Gut Microbiota

Abstract

In the past decades, many studies have widely examined the effects of dietary polyphenols on human health. Polyphenols are well known for their antioxidant properties and for their chelating abilities, by which they can be potentially employed in cases of pathological conditions, such as iron overload. In this review, we have highlighted the chelating abilities of polyphenols, which are due to their structural specific sites, and the differences for each class of polyphenols. We have also explored how the dietary polyphenols and their iron-binding abilities can be important in inflammatory/immunomodulatory responses, with a special focus on the involvement of macrophages and dendritic cells, and how they might contribute to reshape the gut microbiota into a healthy profile. This review also provides evidence that the axes “polyphenol–iron metabolism–inflammatory responses” and “polyphenol–iron availability–gut microbiota” have not been very well explored so far, and the need for further investigation to exploit such a potential to prevent or counteract pathological conditions.

Temperature‐dependent extraction and chromatographic recovery and characterisation of ellagitannins with potent antioxidant and glycaemic control properties from ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate peel

“…Plant polyphenols are known scavengers of free radicals due to their hydroxyl H‐atom transfer abilities to form stable phenoxy radicals (Chen et al ., 2020). Polyphenols also have iron chelating ability by binding to iron (Scarano et al ., 2023). Thus, it is plausible that the high polyphenol and flavonoid contents of the peel extract obtained at 78 °C influenced its higher radical scavenging (Fig.…”

Wine is more than just a beverage: Chemical diversity, health benefits, and immunomodulating potential of wine polyphenols

“…The potential health benefits of polyphenols in general are classically attributed to their potential to prevent oxidative damage to cells and tissues. In fact, in vitro studies have demonstrated that many polyphenols are efficient “scavengers” of oxidative species (Scarano et al., 2023). They can also act as chelators of transition metal ions, thereby preventing the formation of initiating radicals catalyzed by iron and copper (Rice‐Evans et al., 1996).…”

Food‐borne polyphenols: A biocompatible anchor recuperating iron homeostasis

“…Excessive iron, reckoned as a risk factor for cancer, can induce ROS formation and lead to mutation and cellular damage. Consumption of red meat elevated the risk of some malignancies like esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer, etc., which may be associated with excessive heme-iron intake (Seiwert et al, 2020). That may be attributed to the Fenton reaction, ROS formation, and subsequent DNA damage, which are considered as potential induction agents of cancer.…”

“…After being taken into the digestive system, Fe 3+ will be reduced by duodenal cytochrome B (Dcytb) and then transported into duodenal enterocytes by divalent metal cation transporter 1 (DMT1), later stored as ferritin or exported to plasma via basolateral iron exporter: Fpn (Figure 1) (Vogt et al., 2021). Plenty of evidence has demonstrated that dietary polyphenols would interfere with intestinal nonheme iron absorption, including myricetin, quercetin, tannin, and their derivatives (Scarano et al., 2023). Vegetables and fruits which are rich in polyphenols like black beans, red grape, green tea, and grape seed extract, present remarkable inhibitory effects on iron availability (Pap et al., 2021).…”

“…The study has revealed that the systemic release of soluble inflammatory mediators, mainly IL‐6, induces the hepatocytes to release hepcidin, which downregulates ferroportin activity, inhibiting the iron release under inflammatory status. Moreover, iron metabolism also participates in the polarization of innate immune cell, as M1 polarization of macrophage elevate hepcidin level, facilitating iron sequestration and retention, while M2 polarization induces the expression of ferroportin, promoting iron release (Scarano et al., 2023). In this aspect, curcumin, resveratrol, genistein, EGCG, flavopiridol, and many other polyphenols with the ability to modulate inflammatory cytokines also possess the potential property of inflammation‐related iron regulation (Shakoor et al., 2021).…”