Read the new review on Nutritional Immunity by the Cloonan Lab with the contribution of the Muñoz-Wolf Lab.

Nutritional Immunity and Chronic Lung Disease

This review by Healy C. et al explores nutritional immunity, a sophisticated defense mechanism where the body deliberately "hides" essential trace metals—like iron, zinc, and copper—to starve invading pathogens.

While these metals are vital for bacterial growth, they are equally important for the host’s own immune cell function. In the context of chronic lung disease, this delicate balance is often disrupted.

Key Takeaways:

• The Concept of Sequestration: The innate immune system limits the bioavailability of free trace metals. This serves a dual purpose: it prevents bacteria from accessing fuel and regulates the host's own immune signaling.

• The Impact of Lung Disease: Chronic conditions can break down these regulatory pathways, leading to an abnormal buildup or deficiency of metals in the airway.

• Microbiome Shifts: When metal availability changes, it doesn't just affect "bad" bacteria; it can alter the entire airway microbiome, potentially allowing opportunistic pathogens to thrive.

• Immune Dysfunction: Alterations in how these metals are processed (uptake, secretion, and redox activity) can impair how immune cells respond to and resolve infections, leading to worsened disease progression.

Why this matters: Understanding the "tug-of-war" for nutrients in the lungs offers new insights into why patients with chronic lung disease are more susceptible to persistent infections and how we might target these metal pathways for future treatments.

Read the full article: Nutritional immunity: the impact of metals on lung immune cells and the airway microbiome during chronic respiratory disease