From food to function: a century of dietary shaping of mucosal immunity.

The intricate relationship between diet and the mucosal immune system is a critical area in nutritional immunology. This Research Topic, “From Food to Function: A Century of Dietary Shaping of Mucosal Immunity,” aims to compile a thorough historical overview that examines the discovery, discussion, and use of dietary components, ranging from whole foods to isolated probiotics, in influencing mucosal health.We will traverse from early 20th-century findings connecting nutrition to infection resistance, through the groundbreaking research on prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, and microbiome-targeted therapies. A primary emphasis will be the progression of scientific and public discourse regarding fundamental inquiries: Are live probiotics essential, or may pasteurized or inactivated formulations provide advantages? In what ways have dietary customs inadvertently shaped mucosal immune phenotypes at the population level?Additionally, this topic will focus on the concurrent technological revolution in immunology that has enabled us to move from correlation to mechanism—from simple challenge tests to high-resolution single-cell sequencing and spatial transcriptomics. We will analyze how methodological advancements, including the use of animal models to study the influence of nutrition patterns, have addressed past disputes and revealed new avenues—specifically the role of dietary fibers in short-chain fatty acid synthesis and their modulation of intestinal Treg cells and other mucosal immune populations.This Research Topic seeks to provide a nuanced historical perspective on the influence of dietary patterns on our understanding of mucosal immunity, combining a century of multidisciplinary study. It will include information on previous innovations as well as potential future paths for using nutrition to prevent and treat immune-mediated illnesses, such as inflammatory bowel disease and allergies. We invite progressive analyses on how historical insights might guide customized nutrition and public health efforts in the future.This topic accepts manuscripts in, but not limited to, the following themes:- Historical milestones linking diet and mucosal immune regulation- Modulation of mucosal T cell responses by dietary factors, including Treg and Th17 cells- Advances in probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics as immune modulators- Impact of traditional and modern dietary practices on immune cell function and phenotypes- Technological breakthroughs: single-cell technologies, transcriptomics, and spatial analysis to distinguish immune populations- Use of animal models to elucidate effects of dietary patterns on immune populations- Role of dietary fibers and metabolites in shaping intestinal immune homeostasis- Translational opportunities for nutrition-based interventions to enhance mucosal immune regulation and tolerance Topic editors: Ata Ur Rehman, Yogesh Singh, Ahmad Ud Din Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78078/from-food-to-function-a-century-of-dietary-shaping-of-mucosal-immunity