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Abstract Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays an important role in energy metabolism because it uses fatty acids for thermogenesis during cold exposure. Preclinical studies found that boysenberry anthocyanins (BoyACs) activate BAT. Therefore, the aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate how BoyAC intake affects BAT in humans. We performed an open-label single-arm nonrandomized study in healthy volunteers. Before and after 4 weeks of daily consumption of 100 ml boysenberry juice (BoyJ) containing 61 mg of BoyACs, participants were assessed at 24 °C and then after 1 h of mild cold exposure (18 °C). An infrared thermography camera was used to measure skin surface temperatures in the supraclavicular BAT region (Tscv) and the non-BAT region of the upper chest (Tch). Energy metabolism was measured by indirect calorimetry. For each endpoint, we calculated Δ as the difference between values before and after cold exposure and compared the values before and after BoyJ intake. 10 volunteers participated (age: 36.1 ± 4.1, body mass index (BMI): 20.9 ± 0.6). After BoyJ intake, ΔTscv-ch was significantly higher (p = 0.029), but Δ energy expenditure, Δ fat oxidation, and Δ carbohydrate oxidation were not significantly different. We found a significant positive correlation between BMI and Δfat oxidation with BoyJ intake. The results indicate that 4 weeks of BoyJ intake activates cold-induced thermogenesis in the scv-BAT but does not have a significant effect on energy metabolism. BoyJ intake may increase fat oxidation during cold exposure in individuals with higher BMI. Trial registry number: UMIN000043476, 05/03/2021.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays an important role in energy metabolism because it uses fatty acids for thermogenesis during cold exposure. Preclinical studies found that boysenberry anthocyanins (BoyACs) activate BAT. Therefore, the aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate how BoyAC intake affects BAT in humans. We performed an open-label single-arm nonrandomized study in healthy volunteers. Before and after 4 weeks of daily consumption of 100 ml boysenberry juice (BoyJ) containing 61 mg of BoyACs, participants were assessed at 24 °C and then after 1 h of mild cold exposure (18 °C). An infrared thermography camera was used to measure skin surface temperatures in the supraclavicular BAT region (Tscv) and the non-BAT region of the upper chest (Tch). Energy metabolism was measured by indirect calorimetry. For each endpoint, we calculated Δ as the difference between values before and after cold exposure and compared the values before and after BoyJ intake. 10 volunteers participated (age: 36.1 ± 4.1, body mass index (BMI): 20.9 ± 0.6). After BoyJ intake, ΔTscv-ch was significantly higher (p = 0.029), but Δ energy expenditure, Δ fat oxidation, and Δ carbohydrate oxidation were not significantly different. We found a significant positive correlation between BMI and Δfat oxidation with BoyJ intake. The results indicate that 4 weeks of BoyJ intake activates cold-induced thermogenesis in the scv-BAT but does not have a significant effect on energy metabolism. BoyJ intake may increase fat oxidation during cold exposure in individuals with higher BMI. Trial registry number: UMIN000043476, 05/03/2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is one of the leading abiotic factors limiting morphological and physiological activities in blackberry cultivation. In this study, the effects of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on some morphological and biochemical processes in boysenberry (Rubus ursinus Chamisso and Schlenhtendal) under drought stress were investigated. The experiment was performed with three drought stress levels simulated with Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) (0, 4, 8%) and three AgNP treatments (0, 0.1, 0.2 mg L−1) in vitro conditions. Drought stress reduced root and shoot development of boysenberry plants grown in vitro. The addition of AgNPs significantly alleviated the adverse effect of drought stress and increased the plant growth parameters. Antioxidant activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzymes increased in boysenberry leaves when treated with AgNPs under drought conditions, while the amount of malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased. As a result of the study, 0.1 mg L−1 AgNPs is recommended as the most effective dose to promote the growth and development of in vitro boysenberry plants under drought stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is one of the leading abiotic factors limiting morphological and physiological activities in blackberry cultivation. In this study, the effects of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on some morphological and biochemical processes in boysenberry (Rubus ursinus Chamisso and Schlenhtendal) under drought stress were investigated. The experiment was performed with three drought stress levels simulated with Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) (0, 4, 8%) and three AgNP treatments (0, 0.1, 0.2 mg L−1) in vitro conditions. Drought stress reduced root and shoot development of boysenberry plants grown in vitro. The addition of AgNPs significantly alleviated the adverse effect of drought stress and increased the plant growth parameters. Antioxidant activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzymes increased in boysenberry leaves when treated with AgNPs under drought conditions, while the amount of malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased. As a result of the study, 0.1 mg L−1 AgNPs is recommended as the most effective dose to promote the growth and development of in vitro boysenberry plants under drought stress.

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Bioactive compounds including anthocyanins and other polyphenols are associated with reduced lung inflammation and improved lung function in asthma and other lung diseases. This study investigated the effects of a Boysenberry and apple juice concentrate, high in cyanidin glycosides, ellagitannins, and chlorogenic acid, on a mouse model of allergic airways inflammation. Male C57BL/6J mice were orally gavaged with 2.5 mg/kg of total anthocyanins (TAC) from BerriQi® Boysenberry and apple juice concentrate (0.2 mg/kg human equivalent dose) or water control 1 hr before an acute intranasal ovalbumin (OVA) challenge and were gavaged again 2 days after the intranasal challenge. Consumption of BerriQi® Boysenberry and apple juice concentrate significantly decreased OVA‐induced infiltrating eosinophils, neutrophils, and T cells in the lung, and mucous production. Quantification of gene expression for arginase (Arg1), chitinase 3‐like 3 (Ym‐1), found in inflammatory zone (Fizz1), which have been associated with an anti‐inflammatory macrophage phenotype (M2), found significantly increased Arg1 expression in the lung in the Boysenberry and apple juice concentrate treatment group. There was also increased production of M2‐associated cytokines C‐X‐C motif chemokine ligand (CXCL) 10 and C‐C motif chemokine ligand (CCL) 4. These results suggest that consumption of BerriQi® Boysenberry and apple juice concentrate promoted a shift toward an anti‐inflammatory environment within the lung leading to reduced immune cell infiltration and tissue damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tocopherol (vitamin E) is widely recognized as a cellular antioxidant and can prevent oxidative damage during seed quiescence and dormancy in all angiosperms. Tocopherols biosynthesis was highly accumulated in blackberry seeds, but limited study was done on expression of critical genes involved in this biosynthesis pathway. In the present study, each RuHPT and RuTMT cDNA sequence was isolated from boysenberry (Rubus idaeus × fruticosus × loganobaccus Darrow) and their expression patterns and regulation of tocopherols contents were investigated during different seed development stages from 14 to 42 days. RuHPT contained an open reading frame (ORF) of 1224 bp that encoded 407 amino acid residues, and for RuTMT, an ORF of 1056 bp encoding 351 amino acid residues. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that RuHPT and RuTMT were closely related to other Rosaceae species, Rosa chinensis and Fragaria vesca, respectively. The transcript level of both RuHPT and RuTMT gradually increased and reached a maximum level in the seeds of late ripening stages, 35 days after flowering (DAF) and 42 DAF. Assay of total tocopherol, α-tocopherol, γ‑tocopherol and δ-tocopherol contents by HPLC all revealed a similar changing trend concomitantly with the rising expression of RuHPT, and reached the peak on Day 35. The α-tocopherol level showed itself a trend of descending after ascending and reached its peak on Day 28. Therefore, RuHPT and RuTMT may both play a role in tocopherols biosynthesis in the seeds of ripening fruits. These results provide a novel foundation for investigating the functions of key enzyme genes on tocopherols biosynthesis in blackberry plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rubus is an economically important fruit crop across the globe. Recently, several Rubus mutant genotypes with improved agronomic traits have been developed using gamma ray irradiation. This study investigated genetic diversity and variations in Rubus mutant genotypes using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers generated from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) analysis. A GBS library of 14 Rubus genotypes, consisting of seven boysenberry mutant lines, four blackberry mutant lines, and three original varieties, were sequenced on the Illumina Hiseq2000 platform. A set of SNPs were analyzed by Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) assay in order to discriminate the Rubus genotypes. Results: A total of 50,831,040 (86.4%) reads of clean data were generated, and the trimmed length ranged from 116,380,840 to 509,806,521 bp, with an average of 228,087,333 bp per line. A total of 19,634 high-quality SNPs were detected, which contained 11,328 homozygous SNPs and 8306 heterozygous SNPs. A set of 1504 SNPs was used to perform a phylogenetic analysis, which showed that there were clear differences among the Rubus genotypes based on their origin. A total of 25 SNPs were used for the KASP assays, of which six KASP primer sets were successfully distinguished among the Rubus genotypes. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the SNP and KASP method is an economically efficient tool for mutant screening in Rubus breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endothelial cells have an important role in maintaining vascular homeostasis. Age-related disorders (including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension) or aging per se induce endothelial dysfunction that predisposes to the development of atherosclerosis. Polyphenols have been reported to suppress age-related endothelial cell disorders, but their role in vascular function is yet to be determined. We investigated the influence of boysenberry polyphenol on vascular health under metabolic stress in a murine model of dietary obesity. We found that administration of boysenberry polyphenol suppressed production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increased production of nitric oxide (NO) in the aorta. It has been reported that p53 induces cellular senescence and has a crucial role in age-related disorders, including heart failure and diabetes. Administration of boysenberry polyphenol significantly reduced the endothelial p53 level in the aorta and ameliorated endothelial cell dysfunction in iliac arteries under metabolic stress. Boysenberry polyphenol also reduced ROS and p53 levels in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), while increasing NO production. Uncoupled endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS monomer) is known to promote ROS production. We found that boysenberry polyphenol reduced eNOS monomer levels both in vivo and in vitro, along with an increase of eNOS dimerization. To investigate the components of boysenberry polyphenol mediating these favorable biological effects, we extracted the anthocyanin fractions. We found that anthocyanins contributed to suppression of ROS and p53, in association with increased NO production and eNOS dimerization. In an ex vivo study, anthocyanins promoted relaxation of iliac arteries from mice with dietary obesity. These findings indicate that boysenberry polyphenol and anthocyanins, a major component of this polyphenol, inhibit endothelial dysfunction and contribute to maintenance of vascular homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung fibrosis negatively impacts on lung function in chronic asthma and is linked to the development of profibrotic macrophage phenotypes. Epidemiological studies have found that lung function benefits from increased consumption of fruit high in polyphenols. We investigated the effect of boysenberry consumption, in both therapeutic and prophylactic treatment strategies in a mouse model of chronic antigeninduced airway inflammation. Boysenberry consumption reduced collagen deposition and ameliorated tissue remodeling alongside an increase in the presence of CD68+CD206+arginase+ alternatively activated macrophages in the lung tissue. The decrease in tissue remodeling was associated with increased expression of profibrolytic matrix metalloproteinase-9 protein in total lung tissue. We identified alternatively activated macrophages in the mice that consumed boysenberry as a source of the matrix metalloproteinase-9. Oral boysenberry treatment may moderate chronic tissue remodeling by supporting the development of profibrolytic alternatively activated macrophages expressing matrix metalloproteinase-9. Regular boysenberry consumption therefore has the potential to moderate chronic lung remodeling and fibrosis in asthma and other chronic pulmonary diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Black raspberries (BRB) inhibit a broad range of cancers in preclinical models, including in vivo models of oral, esophageal, colon, breast and skin cancer. Promising preclinical results have led to clinical evaluations in cancer patients or patients at increased risk for cancer development. OBJECTIVE: To summarize clinical investigations targeting cancer or precancerous lesions with BRB and discuss future directions. METHODS: A thorough literature search was conducted through December 1, 2015 to identify all published studies evaluating BRB in cancer focused clinical trials. RESULTS: Research investigating BRB in clinical settings report positive effects on preneoplastic lesions or cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus and colon. BRB treatment resulted in: histologic regression of oral intraepithelial neoplasia associated with improved histologic grade and significantly reduced loss of heterozygosity at tumor suppressor gene loci, modulated genes linked to RNA processing and growth factor recycling; in the colon, BRB inhibited FAP-associated polyp progression, demethylated tumor suppressor genes and improved plasma cytokine profiles; in Barrett's patients, BRB consumption increased tissue levels of GST-pi and decreased 8-isoprostane, a marker of lipid peroxidation/oxidative stress. CONCLUSIONS: The precise dose, duration and optimum mode of BRB delivery for cancer inhibition remains to be fully elucidated. Common themes across studies support that BRB are anti-proliferative, anti- inflammatory, reduce oxidative stress and restore tumor suppressive activity. Future directions are included in the conclusions section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Many foods rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds have been shown to increase health and reduce markers of aging. A number of berry fruits high in polyphenols are known to ameliorate age-related declines in cellular, cognitive and behavioral function in rats. OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a red raspberry-supplemented diet on age-sensitive measures of learning, memory and motor performance in aged (19 mo) F344 rats. METHODS: Red raspberry extract was prepared from fresh whole fruit and incorporated in standard rodent chow to create a 2% diet. Following ten weeks on a control or 2% raspberry diet, cognitive and motor performance was assessed using the Morris Water Maze (MWM) and a battery of five psychomotor tasks. RESULTS: The supplemented diet significantly improved performance on three of the five motor tasks, but did not affect MWM performance. Specifically, old rats fed the 2% raspberry diet had significantly better performance on the rod and plank walks, which measure psychomotor coordination and balance, and on the inclined screen, which measures muscle tone, strength, stamina and balance. CONCLUSIONS: Given that falls are the number one health hazard for otherwise healthy older adults, these results may have important implications for increasing healthy aging [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate quantification of ellagic acid and its derivatives, ellagic acid glycosides and ellagitannins, present in plant-based foods is a vital prerequisite for any study of their health-promoting properties. This goal is impeded by the lack of commercially available standards and the fact that these three forms differ widely in solubility. This disparity necessitates careful attention being paid to the choice of extraction solvents to ensure that precise and reproducible content measurements are achieved. This work sought to devise an extraction protocol that is effective for all ellagic acid forms whilst keeping the water-insoluble free ellagic acid solubilised during all analysis stages. To overcome this unavailability of commercial standards, the designated 'targeted' ellagic acid derivatives identified in the selected fruit were monitored during the course of extraction that employed a number of commonly used solvents. Large variations in the extraction yield of the solvents tested for the ellagic acid and its derivatives were identified, extending even to the different fruit samples for the same form. It is regarded as unlikely that any selected extraction solvent could be universally employed to effectively extract all the ellagic acid compounds; however, the use of the solvent 50 : 50 vol. methanol-dimethylformamide satisfied most requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Downy mildew, inflicted by Peronospora sparsa, causes yield losses in arctic bramble ( Rubus arcticus ssp. arcticus), boysenberry ( Rubus spp. hybrid) and blackberry ( Rubus fruticosus), and is a serious threat to the cultivation. Arctic bramble is a high-value crop but its commercial potential is not realisable partly due to downy mildew. Although P. sparsa has been associated with yield losses in arctic bramble, this has not been experimentally proven, nor have the downy mildew symptoms in arctic bramble fruits been described in a controlled experiment. In this study, downy mildew was found to affect the fruits and reduce the yield of arctic bramble. There was a direct correlation between the number of infected leaves and hard fruits resulting from the infection. Owing to the new pesticide legislation in the European Union, it is important to find alternatives to fungicides in the control of downy mildew. The products ALIETTE (fungicide), PHOSFIK (leaf fertiliser) and BION (pathogen defence elicitor) were effective in downy mildew control, Aliette and Phosfik being more effective than Bion especially in preventing yield losses. No arctic bramble cultivars known to be resistant to downy mildew are available. Evaluation of cultivars Alli, Mesma and Pima in the field showed that Mesma is more resistant to downy mildew than are Alli and Pima. Currently the main cultivar grown in Finland, Pima, was the most susceptible variety. The results of this study suggest that the yields and profitability of arctic bramble production could be improved by selecting more resistant varieties, combined with the application of agrochemicals that can suppress the development of downy mildew. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental monitoring was conducted in the Lublin region in 2009-2012 aimed at the assessment of the supply of several macro- and micronutrients in raspberries plants. The plantations studied were located in eight main regions for the growing of raspberries (Bełżyce, Chodel, Godziszów, Kraśnik, Lublin, Międzyrzec Podlaski, Opole Lubelskie and Urzędów). The contents of nitrogen (N), potassium (K), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and boron (B) were determined in raspberry leaves. Furthermore, the impact of select soil properties on the content of essential elements in the leaves was assessed. The results obtained revealed the suitable N, P, K, Mg, B, Zn and Cu supplies in the plants. However, the mean content of Mn greatly exceeded the optimal level recommended for this species. Also, the content of Fe in some regions was above the optimal value. The calculated correlation coefficients between soil properties and the content of the elements in raspberry leaves suggest that these variables were interdependent in only a few cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raspberries are very labile fruits that have a short postharvest life; therefore, there is a need to develop alternative storage and processing methods for extending their shelf-life. The effect of wet (WI) and dry (DI) sucrose infusions (aw = 0.85) on color and bioactive compounds of raspberries has been studied. Additives were included: citric acid, sodium bisulfite, or both. Moisture content decreased from 85% (w/w) for control fruit to approximately 51% (w/w) for infused samples. The shrinkage of fruits was approximately 27% and 46% after WI and DI, respectively. No major color changes occurred, except for WI-bisulfite treatment. Although the total polyphenols and anthocyanin content were significantly reduced in fruits during osmotic dehydration, mainly due to the dilution effect to the medium, 100 g serving of processed raspberries would supply, in some cases, over 50% of polyphenols provided by a glass of wine. The proposed infusion dehydration methods may be considered an alternative to produce shelf-stable products based on raspberries, with an improved quality in terms of appearance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Floral rewards such as nectar and pollen have a major influence on successful pollination and fruit-set, even in self-fertile Rubus sp. (Rosaceae), which include most cultivated raspberries and blackberries. A 2-year study was designed to examine the diurnal dynamics of nectar secretion and pollen shedding in the raspberry cultivars 'Autumn Bliss' and 'Mailing Exploit', and in the blackberry cultivars 'Arapaho' and 'Hull', in order to establish the effect of these traits on floral attractiveness to various insect visitors. The volume of nectar secreted per flower was measured using calibrated capillaries, and the concentrations of sugars in the nectar were measured using a hand-held refractometer. The four Rubus cultivars differed in their patterns of nectar and pollen presentation. Volumes of nectar and concentrations of sugars were influenced by year, cultivar, age of the flower, and time of sampling. The four cultivars exhibited different patterns of nectar secretion over the 2 years. In year-1, an early morning peak in nectar volume was followed by a rapid decline, while the concentrations of sugars increased during the day. In year-2, both the volume of nectar and the concentrations of sugars increased from the morning to the afternoon. The patterns of pollen presentation were similar in both years of study. Anther dehiscence took only 3 - 8 h per flower in the poorest nectar producer, 'Arapaho'; while, in cultivars with higher nectar yields, pollen shedding lasted for 6 - 10 h. Pollen-shedding flowers secreted significantly higher volumes of nectar, with significantly lower concentrations of sugars, compared to pre-pollen-shedding flowers in year-1. The concentrations of sugars in the nectar were higher in both raspberry cultivars than in the blackberry cultivars, but both blackberry cultivars were as attractive to bees due to their more appealing nectar sugar composition. Bees were more attracted to flowers of cultivars which simultaneously offered ample nectar and some pollen (i.e., 'Autumn Bliss', 'Mailing Exploit', and 'Hull') than to flowers with a rapid rate of pollen shedding, but a low nectar yield (i.e., 'Arapaho'). Higher rates of bee-mediated cross-pollination may provide economically important increases in fruit yields and better quality fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the importance of plant-based antioxidants to human health becomes clearer there is a rapidly expanding search for rich sources of these compounds. Much attention is currently focussed on the antioxidant potential of ellagic acid (EA). Making assessment difficult is that EA occurs in different forms: free EA, EA glycosides and polymeric ellagitannins. The overall structure of these forms has a pronounced effect on their antioxidant efficiency and is responsible for widely differing reactivity, solubility and hence bioavailability properties. Often associated with EA is vitamin C which also contributes to the plant foods total antioxidant activity. Previous studies have suggested that ascorbic acid may have protective effects on the polyphenol content of plants. With a view to gaining evidence that the bioactive forms of vitamin C influence EA content, several fruits with a range of EA and vitamin C contents were examined. To facilitate a more detailed assessment of the selected fruits antioxidant potential the relative proportions of EA forms were also determined. In strawberries and boysenberries EA content was predominantly in the polymeric form (21% and 12% free EA plus EA glycoside vs total EA levels for strawberry and boysenberry respectively), while in Kakadu plum it was mainly in the free form (70% of total EA). An increasing percentage of dehydroascorbic acid (9 to 14% of total vitamin C) indicating enhanced transformation of ascorbic acid to its oxidative degradation product together with stable free EA levels (≈ 950 mg/100 g DW) over the 4 month frozen storage period for the Kakadu plum samples are consistent with a possible protective effect of EA by ascorbic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Downy mildew caused by Peronospora sparsa has resulted in serious production losses in boysenberry (Rubus hybrid), blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), and rose (Rosa sp.) in New Zealand, Mexico, and the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively. Development of a model to predict downy mildew risk would facilitate development and implementation of a disease warning system for efficient fungicide spray application in the crops affected by this disease. Because detailed disease observation data were not available, a two-step approach was applied to develop an empirical risk prediction model for P. sparsa. To identify the weather patterns associated with a high incidence of downy mildew berry infections (dry-berry disease) and derive parameters for the empirical model, classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was performed. Then, fuzzy sets were applied to develop a simple model to predict the disease risk based on the parameters derived from the CART analysis. High-risk seasons with a boysenberry downy mildew incidence >10% coincided with months when the number of hours per day with temperature of 15 to 20°C averaged >9.8 over the month and the number of days with rainfall in the month was >38.7%. The Fuzzy Peronospora Sparsa (FPS) model, developed using fuzzy sets, defined relationships among high-risk events, temperature, and rainfall conditions. In a validation study, the FPS model provided correct identification of both seasons with high downy mildew risk for boysenberry, blackberry, and rose and low risk in seasons when no disease was observed. As a result, the FPS model had a significant degree of agreement between predicted and observed risks of downy mildew for those crops (P = 0.002). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing interest in dietary polyphenols for risk reduction in cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate acute and chronic flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and blood pressure responses to daily intake of boysenberry juice. FMD of the brachial artery was measured in six subjects in the initial, intermediate and follow-up stages of a 4-week open-label intervention study. The intake of boysenberry juice (180 ml/d) increased FMD with progression of intervention stage, and FMD differed in the follow-up stage compared with pre-intake baseline ( p = 0.0163 < 0.0167 = 0.1/6) using Bonferroni correction. Changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP) correlated negatively with SBP before intake only in the follow-up stage ( r = −0.961 and p = 0.0007 at 3.5 h), indicating a greater SBP reduction in subjects with higher SBP. These results suggest that daily intake of boysenberry juice is beneficial for reducing cardiovascular risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the phytochemical composition (total phenolics, total anthocyanins and ellagitannins) and antimicrobial properties of raspberry fruit, pulp, and marc extracts obtained with 80% methanol and 80% acetone from different plant cultivars were assessed. The extracts were also subjected to screening for their possible antioxidant activity by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) assay. The content of total phenolics in berry pulp extracts varied from 20.4 to 35.5, in whole berry extracts from 43.6 to 83.1 and in berry marc extracts from 93.9 to 163.8 mg/g (dry weight of extract). The content of ellagitannins was higher by 63–80% in raspberry marc extracts than in pulp extracts. Raspberry fruit, pulp and marc extracts isolated with aqueous acetone possessed stronger antimicrobial activity than the corresponding extracts isolated with aqueous methanol. The highest inhibitory effect against the investigated Gram-positive bacteria and yeast strains was shown by the extracts isolated from raspberry marc and containing the highest concentrations of total phenolics and ellagitannins. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article focuses on a study related to the antihypertensive effect of oral administration of boysenberry seed polyphenol extract to hypertensive rats. As per the study, the extract was separated into proanthocyanidin and ellagitannin fractions by solvent partition. The study mentions that decrease in Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) was observed after 6 hour of post administration. The study concludes that presence of proanthocyanidins in seeds have important role in antihypertensive effect.