Cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, and more, are getting a lot of attention for their rich nutritional value and health benefits.
On August 16, 2023, researchers from the Francis Crick Institute in the UK published a research paper entitled "Endothelial AHR activity prevents lung barrier disruption in viral infection" in the journal "Nature".
This study shows that eating more cruciferous vegetables can activate AHR in lung endothelial cells, helping to protect lung barrier function and repair the lungs after infection. demonstrated an important role for endothelial cells in the gut-lung axis, through which diet is linked to protection from lung infection.

The lung barrier between the body and the outside air has 2 layers of cells, including endothelial cells and epithelial cells, whose synergy ensures efficient gas exchange and prevents pathogens and harmful substances from entering the lung tissue.
In the study, the researchers analyzed the effect of AHR on the lung barrier in a mouse model, assessing lung damage by infecting mice with influenza.
The researchers found that when mice were infected with influenza, the protective lung AHR activity was reduced, the mouse lung barrier was damaged, and blood leaked out.
To assess the protective role of AHR on the lung barrier, the researchers knocked out AHR regulation in mice, and mice lacking AHR had more lung bleeding and became sicker during infection than controls.
AHR in endothelial cells prevents bleeding after infection
Because the AHR responds to dietary compounds, the researchers analyzed the effects on influenza of adding a broccoli-derived chemical known to activate the AHR, indole-3-carbinol ( I3C).
The researchers found that mice whose diet lacked the active I3C compound had more lung bleeding after influenza infection and that a diet rich in AHR ligands was beneficial for mice with better barrier integrity and less of lung damage. This suggests that AHR has a protective effect on the lung barrier affected by infection, which can be improved with the right diet.
Additionally, the study found that infected mice ate less food when they were sick, so they consumed less AHR, which appeared to cause more lung damage.
According to the researchers, AHR is important for maintaining a strong barrier in the lungs through the endothelial cell layer, which is destroyed during infection. And it's harder for people to maintain a good diet when they're sick, so they don't get the molecules in vegetables that make this system work. In any case, eating more cruciferous vegetables is a good choice.
Of note, the researchers said that we looked at influenza in this study, but other studies suggest that COVID-19 infection may also reduce AHR activity in the lungs.

Taken together, the study demonstrates that modulation of AHR activity can affect the stability of the lung barrier and the severity of viral infection. This study demonstrates the important role of endothelial cells in the gut-lung axis, through which diet is linked to the prevention of lung infection. The discovery provides a potential direction for the development of new therapeutic strategies and drugs to enhance the lung's resistance to viral infection.
Not only that, on August 16, 2023, researchers from Imperial College London published a research paper titled "Endothelial sensing of AHR ligands regulates intestinal homeostasis" in the journal "Nature".
Research shows that AHR in endothelial cells plays an important role in maintaining intestinal barrier health, and AHR activation can enhance the integrity and function of the intestinal barrier.
The study found that when the AHR protein is active in endothelial cells, the integrity of the gut barrier is enhanced and the passage of harmful substances is reduced. Conversely, when the activity of the AHR protein is inhibited, the function of the gut barrier is compromised, allowing harmful substances to pass through more easily.