Cruciferous vegetables: prototypic anti-inflammatory food components

There is increasing evidence that food components contribute to the pathogenesis of various disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases, atherosclerosis, cancer or type 2 diabetes. Dietary factors especially enriched in Western diet cause and promote inflammatory processes throughout the organism involving various pathways but mainly the induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In contrast, there is increasing evidence that certain food components such as present in cruciferous vegetables have important anti-inflammatory properties. Cruciferous vegetables contain large amounts of various indole derivatives and are able via these components to activate aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AhR). Activation of these intracellular receptors results in potent intestinal immune modulation including regulation and maintenance of intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes and innate lymphoid cells, induction of the key barrier cytokine interleukin-22 and manipulation of the intestinal microbiota. Lack of AhR is associated with an impaired barrier function and increased intestinal vulnerability suggesting that the continuous presence of dietary AhR ligands may be of importance throughout life. Sulforaphane, an isothiocyanate compound of cruciferous vegetables, also exerts mainly anti-inflammatory properties on immune processes. Therefore, evidence is accumulating that certain food components are healthy by targeting intestinal immune responses and reshaping the microbiota.