Date of Graduation
12-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science (PhD)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Food Science
Advisor/Mentor
Sun-Ok Lee
Committee Member
Howard, Luke R.
Second Committee Member
Lee, Jung Ae
Third Committee Member
Baum, Jamie
Fourth Committee Member
Zhao, Jiangchao
Keywords
Berry volatiles, Black raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Intestinal inflammation, Lung cancer
Abstract
Berries are one of the most consumed fruits in our diet, and rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, and volatiles. Volatiles are responsible for the aroma of berries, and are widely used in food, perfumery, and cosmetic industries. However, the potential health beneficial effects of berry volatiles have not been extensively studied. Recently, we found that berry volatiles from cranberries, black and red raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries have an anti-inflammatory effect on inflamed murine macrophage cells. Since inflammation can develop into many chronic diseases, and berry volatiles can be inhaled or consumed and pass through the lungs or colon, the overall objective of this dissertation was to investigate the health beneficial effect of berry volatiles from black raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries on lung and colon. Therefore, the first objective of this dissertation was to evaluate the chemical compositions of volatile extracts from black raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, and to investigate the antiproliferative effect of three berry volatile extracts on non-small-cell A549 lung cancer cells and their apoptotic mechanisms. Second, the dissertation aimed to investigate the effects of three berry volatile extracts on intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction and intestinal inflammation using a co-culture model of Caco-2/RAW264.7 cells. Lastly, the third objective of the dissertation was to evaluate the impact of three berry volatile extracts on gut microbiota of subjects with normal weight and overweight/obesity via in vitro fecal fermentation. As a result, black raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry volatile extracts exerted an antiproliferative effect against non-small-cell lung carcinoma cells with increased cell apoptosis by down-regulating the level of procaspases, suggesting that three berry volatiles may have potential anti-cancer activity through apoptosis in lung cancer. The results also revealed that volatile extracts from three berries improved intestinal barrier dysfunction by enhancing intestinal epithelial monolayer integrity and exhibited intestinal anti-inflammatory effects by suppressing pro-inflammatory mediator and cytokines through modulating NF-κB signaling pathway. Berry phenolic and volatile extracts from three berries significantly changed the fecal microbial composition of subjects with normal weight and overweight/obesity after 24 h (p < 0.05), but there was no significant gut microbiota-modulating effect compared to the control at 24 h. Overall, these findings suggested that berry volatile extracts from black raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries have the potential as functional food components with anti-lung cancer activity and gastrointestinal protective effect with intestinal anti-inflammatory effect. However, further in vivo and bioavailability studies will be needed to confirm their beneficial effects.
Citation
Gu, I. (2023). Health Beneficial Effects of Black Raspberry, Blueberry, and Blackberry Volatile Extracts in Lung and Colon. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/5197