Dietary Polyphenols, the Gut Microbiome, and Vascular Immunoinflammation: Mechanisms and Clinical Translation.

Vascular immunoinflammation—the dynamic interaction between immune cells, platelets, and the endothelium—has emerged as a central mechanism underlying chronic cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Dysregulated platelet activation and persistent low-grade inflammation accelerate endothelial dysfunction, thrombosis, and tissue injury. Growing evidence indicates that dietary polyphenols, naturally occurring micronutrients abundant in plant-based foods, modulate redox balance, immune signaling, and platelet reactivity. Recent studies have revealed the capacity of polyphenols and their metabolites to influence nitric oxide bioavailability, suppress NF-κB activation, and affect cytokine and adhesion molecule expression. However, several aspects of this field remain unresolved, including how inter-individual differences in metabolism, gut microbial processing, and bioavailability shape systemic immunometabolic responses. Decoding these complex pathways demands a precision nutrition framework. This requires a comprehensive assessment of how the human gut microbiota processes polyphenols within complex food matrices, and how specific dietary interventions—particularly those shifting the distribution and averages of dietary macronutrients—modulate the gut microenvironment to ultimately govern systemic metabolic homeostasis. Moreover, despite promising mechanistic and epidemiological data, the clinical translation of polyphenol-mediated vascular protection remains a major challenge, requiring integration across biochemical, immunological, and nutritional disciplines.This Research Topic aims to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which dietary polyphenols regulate platelet activation and vascular immune responses, bridging nutritional immunology, vascular biology, and translational clinical research. It seeks to clarify how bioactive polyphenol metabolites modulate inflammatory and thrombotic pathways and to identify nutritional strategies that strengthen endothelial integrity and immune homeostasis. By leveraging advanced multi-omics integration this collection aims to decode the complex metabolic crosstalk driving or mitigating vascular dysfunction. By connecting mechanistic insights with clinical outcomes, this Research Topic will advance our understanding of how polyphenol-rich diets can contribute to cardiovascular health, offering a foundation for evidence-based recommendations, nutraceutical innovations, and precision nutrition interventions targeting immune-vascular dysregulation.Submissions to this Research Topic should explore mechanistic, contextual, and translational aspects of dietary polyphenols in immune-vascular health. Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Hypothesis and Theory, Methods, and Clinical Trial articles are welcome. To gather further insights into the integrative biology of vascular immunoinflammation, we invite contributions addressing but not limited to:• Molecular pathways linking dietary polyphenols to platelet activation, endothelial signaling, and vascular immune modulation• Crosstalk among platelets, immune cells, and endothelial compartments influenced by polyphenol metabolites• Polyphenol–microbiota interactions, gut microbiome profiling, and their role in modulating immunometabolic and vascular responses• Redox and signaling networks underlying anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic actions of polyphenols• Omics and systems biology approaches (e.g., metabolomics, lipidomics, metabarcoding, immunomics, etc) to map polyphenol-mediated mechanisms• Translational and clinical studies evaluating polyphenol-rich diets, vascular biomarkers, and cardiovascular outcomes• Development of functional foods, functional ingredients, nutraceutical formulations, and precision nutrition strategies for immune-vascular healthManuscripts should emphasize nutritional and immunomodulatory mechanisms of natural dietary compounds rather than pharmacological interventions, aligning with the focus and values of the Nutritional Immunology section. Topic editors: Oscar J. Lara-Guzmán, Maria E. Meneses, Vanessa Corrales-Agudelo Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85747/dietary-polyphenols-the-gut-microbiome-and-vascular-immunoinflammation-mechanisms-and-clinical-translation