Dietary xenobiotics and their role in immunomodulation

Within our daily dietary intake, lies an intriguing and frequently overlooked dimension— the realm of dietary xenobiotics. These chemical compounds originate from different food sources like grilled or processed meat (animal-origin), flavonoids, preservatives, beverages(plant-origin) and so on. Numerous studies have explored the oncogenic properties. Additionally, these compounds also result in interrupting the humoral and cellular immune response. This review specifically concentrates on elucidating the regulatory functions of these dietary xenobiotics within the human immune system. While some, like heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are predominantly deemed harmful, certain other compounds, such as specific phenolic compounds and nitrates, have exhibited therapeutic benefits. Furthermore, the review notes the immunomodulatory role of two relatively underexplored compounds, acrylamide and maltol. This underscores the necessity to broaden the scope of investigation surrounding these compounds and this review gives a brief overview of these xenobiotics interfering with the immune system.