The inflammatory exposome: Environmental modulators of health and disease

Environmental exposures, or exposome, are increasingly recognized as key modulators of immune responses and inflammatory processes in health and disease. Air pollutants, environmental toxins, foods, microbial products, allergens, micro- and nano-plastics and climate-related stressors can influence both innate and adaptive immunity, shaping inflammatory signaling pathways and contributing to immune dysregulation. As the global prevalence of these exposures continues to rise, their interactions are highly relevant to the development and progression of non-communicable chronic diseases, including asthma, COPD, allergy, autoimmunity, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, infection-related pathology, and cancer. Despite growing evidence linking environmental exposures to immune and inflammatory outcomes, important questions remain about the cellular and molecular mechanisms through which these exposures alter immune homeostasis and promote disease.This Research Topic aims to highlight current advances in our understanding of how environmental factors influence immune responses and drive inflammatory processes. In particular, it seeks to explore the mechanisms by which environmental exposures modulate immune cell function, cytokine networks, barrier integrity, inflammasome activation, tissue inflammation, and systemic immune balance. We welcome studies that clarify how acute or chronic exposure to environmental agents contributes to inflammatory pathology, disease susceptibility, or altered immune resilience.The scope of this Research Topic includes basic, translational, and clinical studies, as well as reviews, perspectives, policy briefs, policy and practice reviews, and opinions, addressing the immunological and inflammatory consequences of the exposome. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:o Environmental modulation by pollutants, toxins, or particulates of innate and adaptive immune responseso Exposure-driven activation of inflammatory signaling pathways, and molecular and cellular mechanisms linking environmental exposures to inflammatory signalingo Cytokines, chemokines, and inflammasome responses to environmental stressorso Barrier immune homeostasis disturbance and tissue inflammation in response to environmental factorso Environmental contributors to chronic inflammation, autoimmunity, allergy, or other immune-mediated diseases o Diet, microbiome, and metabolite-mediated regulation of immune homeostasis and inflammatory responseso Biomarkers of environmentally induced immune dysfunction and inflammationo Translational studies on the prevention or mitigation of exposure-related immune and inflammatory damage Topic editors: Devavani Chatterjea, Danijela Apostolovic, Elena Tonc Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86114/the-inflammatory-exposome-environmental-modulators-of-health-and-disease