Dietary polyphenols are abundant antioxidants in the human diet and are associated with lower rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This study aims to determine the effects of cooking white rice (WR) added with lingonberry (WRLB), cranberry (WRCB), and red grape (WRRG) on in vitro digestibility. There was significantly lower level of glucose release for WRRG compared with WR (p0.05). WRLB and WRCB showed no effect on glucose release compared with WR (p>0.05). Increasing concentrations of red grape polyphenol decreased digestibility of white rice (p0.05). A positive correlation between the red grape phenolic content and the resistant starch was observed (R=0.9854). Red grape polyphenol had the greatest impact on reducing in vitro digestibility of white rice. The addition of polyphenols in carbohydrate-rich foods may be a practical means to reduce the high glycemic response of rice eaten around the world.

1. Herbal supplements widely used in the US were screened for the potential to inhibit CYP2C8 activity in human liver microsomes. The herbal extracts screened were garlic, echinacea, saw palmetto, valerian, black cohosh and cranberry. N-desethylamodiaquine (DEAQ) and hydroxypioglitazone metabolite formation were used as indices of CYP2C8 activity. 2. All herbal extracts showed inhibition of CYP2C8 activity for at least one of three concentrations tested. A volume per dose index (VDI) was calculated to determine the volume in which a dose should be diluted to obtain IC50 equivalent concentration. Cranberry and saw palmetto had a VDI value > 5.0 l per dose unit, suggesting a potential for interaction. 3. Inhibition curves were constructed and the IC50 (mean +/- SE) values were 24.7 +/- 2.7 mug/ml for cranberry and 15.4 +/- 1.7 mug/ml for saw palmetto. 4. The results suggest a potential for cranberry or saw palmetto extracts to inhibit CYP2C8 activity. Clinical studies are needed to evaluate the significance of this interaction.

Cranberry consumption has been demonstrated to improve features of the metabolic syndrome, therefore providing an alternative strategy to prevent obesity and type-2 diabetes. Moreover, gut dysbiosis is now considered as a key factor in metabolic disorders. In order to understand the involvement of phenolic compounds in the health-improving effects of cranberry, this study aimed to investigate their bioavailability after oral administration of a cranberry extract (CE) to high-fat high-sucrose (HFHS) fed mice, and to explore a possible modulation of gut microbiota composition following a co-supplementation with spores of Bacillus subtilis CU1 probiotic (CE/P). Phenolic metabolites were extracted and characterized from plasma using μSPE-UHPLC-MS/MS, and a metagenomic analysis was performed on feces to assess gut bacterial composition. 22 circulating metabolites were identified, mainly microbial degradation products of native cranberry phenolic compounds. Plasma concentration of 3 microbial metabolites was significantly increased with the CE/P co-treatment: p-coumaric acid, m-coumaric acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (+53%, +103% and +70%, respectively). Associated to this modulation, we reported significant differences in the proportion of Barnesiella and Oscillibacter genera in CE/P treated mice in comparison with control animals. This study thus highlights the impact of an altered gut microbiota on phenolic compounds degradation and bioavailability in mice.

A new method based on nano-liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (nano-LC-TOF-MS) using lock-mass calibration was developed to facilitate the accurate and routine characterization and quantification of phenolic compounds. Thus, it was applied to study cranberry syrups, in which, using negative ionization mode, a total of nine phenolic compounds were unequivocally identified using standards and 38 tentatively taking into account their retention time, accurate mass (errors5 ppm) data and isotope pattern, as well as literature. Among them, 13 compounds, belonging to flavonols and iridoids conjugated with phenolic acids, were reported for first time in cranberry or cranberry based-products. The analytical method was also validated using chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, procyanidin A2, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside, quercetin, and myricetin standards. In this way, the analytical method showed adequate linearity, with R(2) above 0.99, and acceptable values of intra- and inter-day repeatability of the retention time and peak area. The detection limits and quantification were between 1.0-15.6 ng mL(-1) and 2.0-62.5 ng mL(-1), respectively. The method can be extended to characterize phenolic compounds in other food and plant matrices, and as well biological samples.

Respiratory viruses are a major public health problem because of their prevalence and high morbidity rate leading to considerable social and economic implications. Cranberry has therapeutic potential attributed to a comprehensive list of phytochemicals including anthocyanins, flavonols, and unique A-type proanthocyanidins. Soy flavonoids, including isoflavones, have demonstrated anti-viral effects in vitro and in vivo. Recently, it was demonstrated that edible proteins can efficiently sorb and concentrate cranberry polyphenols, including anthocyanins and proanthocyanins, providing greatly stabilized matrices suitable for food products. The combination of cranberry and soy phytoactives may be an effective dietary anti-viral resource. Anti-viral properties of both cranberry juice-enriched and cranberry pomace polyphenol-enriched soy protein isolate (CB-SPI and CBP-SPI) were tested against influenza viruses (H7N1, H5N3, H3N2), Newcastle disease virus and Sendai virus in vitro and in ovo. In our experiments, preincubation with CB-SPI or CBP-SPI resulted in inhibition of virus adsorption to chicken red blood cells and reduction in virus nucleic acid content up to 16-fold, however, CB-SPI and CBP-SPI did not affect hemagglutination. Additionally, CB-SPI and CBP-SPI inhibited viral replication and infectivity more effectively than the commercially available anti-viral drug Amizon. Results suggest CB-SPI and CBP-SPI may have preventative and therapeutic potential against viral infections that cause diseases of the respiratory and gastro-intestinal tract.

The effectiveness of cranberry in the treatment of urinary tract infection (UTI) has been associated with its polyphenol content, particularly proanthocyanidins (PACs) and the inhibition of adherence of Escherichia coli to the uroepithelium. This paper describes a controlled, double blind, clinical trial of children aged over one month with recurrent urinary tract infection. The study aims were to evaluate the safety and efficacy of cranberry syrup in children and to investigate the relationship between the excretion of phenolic acids in urine with the antiadherent activity of cranberry syrup. In the study population, cranberry syrup was found to be similar to trimethoprim, with a rate of UTI (reinfection) of 26% (95% CI 12-41). The administration of cranberry syrup was associated with high levels of hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acids in urine; in both cases these molecules present activity in the biofilm inhibition or reduction of surface hydrophobicity of E. coli (Clinical Trials Registry ISRCTN16968287).

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the compliance with and tolerability of daily cranberry capsule ingestion for asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) prevention in pregnancy.
DESIGN: A total of 49 pregnant women from two sites were randomly assigned to cranberry or matching placebo, two doses daily, at gestational ages less than 16 weeks. Patients were followed monthly for urinary tract infection until delivery. Up to seven monthly visits were scheduled for each patient. Delivery data were evaluated.
RESULTS: Of 38 evaluable patients, the mean compliance rate over the study period was 82% (range, 20%-100%). This compliance rate and the 74% of patients achieving good (>75%) compliance were similar between those who received cranberry capsules and placebo. Compliance evaluation revealed that most patients stopped capsule consumption after 34-38 weeks of participation. Multivariate logistic regression and longitudinal analysis showed a significant interaction time effect with cranberry treatment. However, cranberry consumption was not a significant predictor of gastrointestinal intolerance or study withdrawal. Although 30% of patients withdrew for various reasons, only 1 withdrew because of intolerance to the cranberry capsules. Loss to follow-up was mostly due to provider change (9 of 49 [18%]) and therapy disinterest (4 of 49 [8%]). Seven cases of ASB occurred in 5 patients: 2 of 24 (8%) in the cranberry group and 3 of 25 (12%) in the placebo group. No cases of cystitis or pyelonephritis were observed.
CONCLUSION: One third of pregnant women could not complete the study protocol for various reasons. Compliance with and tolerability of cranberry capsule ingestion appear good; these capsules provide a potentially effective means to prevent ASB in pregnancy. Further studies with large samples are necessary to confirm the findings.

In the past decade, cranberry extracts have been attracting ever-growing attention by dental researchers. The potential benefits of cranberry components in reducing oral diseases, including dental caries and periodontitis, are discussed in this review. A non-dialysable cranberry fraction enriched in high molecular weight polyphenols has very promising properties with respect to cariogenic and periodontopathogenic bacteria, as well as to the host inflammatory response and enzymes that degrade the extracellular matrix. Cranberry components are potential anti-caries agents since they inhibit acid production, attachment, and biofilm formation by Streptococcus mutans. Glucan-binding proteins, extracellular enzymes, carbohydrate production, and bacterial hydrophobicity, are all affected by cranberry components. Regarding periodontal diseases, the same cranberry fraction inhibits host inflammatory responses, production, and activity of enzymes that cause the destruction of the extracellular matrix, biofilm formation, and adherence of Porphyromonas gingivalis, and proteolytic activities and coaggregation of periodontopathogens. The above-listed effects suggest that cranberry components, especially those with high molecular weight, could serve as bioactive molecules for the prevention and/or treatment of oral diseases.

SCOPE: The objective was to investigate the metabolome changes in female rats gavaged with partially purified cranberry procyanidins (PPCP) using (1) H NMR and UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS metabolomics approaches, and to identify the contributing metabolites.
METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-four female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly separated into two groups and administered PPCP or partially purified apple procyanidins (PPAP) for three times using a 250 mg extracts/kg body weight dose. Plasma was collected 6 h after the last gavage and analyzed using (1) H NMR and UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS. No metabolome difference was observed using (1) H NMR metabolomics approach. However, LC-HRMS metabolomics data show that metabolome in the plasma of female rats administered PPCP differed from those gavaged with PPAP. Eleven metabolites were tentatively identified from a total of 36 discriminant metabolic features based on accurate masses and/or product ion spectra. PPCP caused a greater increase of exogenous metabolites including p-hydroxybenzoic acid, phenol, phenol-sulphate, catechol sulphate, 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylvaleric acid, and 4'-O-methyl-(-)-epicatechin-3'-O-beta-glucuronide in rat plasma. Furthermore, the plasma level of O-methyl-(-)-epicatechin-O-glucuronide, 4-hydroxy-5-(hydroxyphenyl)-valeric acid-O-sulphate, 5-(hydroxyphenyl)-Y-valerolactone-O-sulphate, 4-hydroxydiphenylamine, and peonidin-3-O-hexose were higher in female rats administered with PPAP.
CONCLUSION: The metabolome changes caused by cranberry procyanidins were revealed using an UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS global metabolomics approach. Exogenous and microbial metabolites were the major identified discriminate biomarkers.