Introduction: Escherichia coli is the most common pathogen isolated from the urine of dogs with urinary tract infections (UTIs). While there are many studies in humans investigating the potential for the prevention of UTIs by dietary consumption of cranberry, few analogous studies have been carried out in dogs. 

Material and Methods: Eight dogs, four male and four female, were successively fed two diets, first a control without cranberry, and then the second diet containing cranberry extracts. Naturally excreted urine was collected on the tenth day after the start of each diet for 24 h and used for bacterial growth. MadinDarby canine kidney cell adherence by the uropathogenic E. coli G1473 strain expressing type 1 pili and positive for P pili and haemolysin gene markers was quantified after growth in urine samples. 

Results: Significant reductions in bacterial adherence to MDCK cells (from -16.5 to -73.4%, P < 0.05) were observed in the four females but not in the males after consumption of the cranberry extracts compared to the same animals consuming the control diet. 

Conclusion: Dietary supplementation with cranberry may provide some degree of protection to female dogs against adhesion of uropathogenic E. coli to urinary epithelial cells.

Background and Aims: Cranberry products are beneficial in erectile dysfunction (ED). Therefore, we assessed the impact of Cranberry fruit extract (Cranberry-E) on in vivo erectile response and in vitro relaxant responses in the corpus cavernosum (CC).Methods: Rats (n=10) were divided into control and diabetic groups. In vivo erectile function was measured following intracavernosal injection of Cranberry-E. The relaxation responses to Cranberry-E were obtained after pre-contraction with phenylephrine (Phe, 10 mu M) and KCl (60 mM). Cranberry-E caused relaxant responses in the incubation with nitric oxide synthase (NOS) blocker (L-NAME, 100 mu M) and soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) blocker (ODQ, 30 mu M), and relaxation responses of cavernosal tissue were calculated before and after the incubation with Cranberry-E.

Results: Erectile responses were significantly reduced in diabetic animals as compared to controls (p<0.001), which was normalized after the intracavernous administration of Cranberry-E. There was no difference in the relaxation responses to Cranberry-E between the control and diabetic groups. Cranberry-E induced the relaxation of cavernosal tissue, which remained unaltered in the presence of L-NAME and ODQ. Relaxation responses to Cranberry decreased after KCl-induced precontraction (p<0.001). The relaxation of cavernosal tissue increased after Cranberry-E incubation.

Conclusion: Cranberry-E improved diabetes-induced ED and induced relaxation of cavernosal tissue via a nitric oxide-independent mechanism. Thus, cranberry consumption is likely to be effective as a potential strategy to prevent diabetes-induced ED.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine the effect of cranberry extract used in patients with single urinary tract infections. 

METHODS: Patients with simple-type urinary tract infections were divided into two groups. Treatment with fosfomycin or cranberry tablet was started. On days 1, 3, and 7 of the treatment, whether there was a decrease in the complaints was evaluated with a Likert-type scale. The recovery status of urinary tract infections and the well-being of patients were compared via antibiotic and cranberry groups. 

RESULTS: After the treatment, the leukocyte levels of the cranberry users were at the same level as those of the other group, and the rate of well-being and the portion of patients that reported to be very well on days 3 and 7 in the cranberry group was significantly higher compared with the fosfomycin group (p<0.05). 

CONCLUSION: Considering the results of this study, it was determined that the patient's complaints decreased from day 3 and their well-being increased with the use of cranberry only. Specifically, on day 7, the well-being of the cranberry group was higher than that of the fosfomycin group. For this reason, cranberry is a favorable alternative to antibiotics in uncomplicated and simple urinary tract infections.

The current study aims to evaluate potential hepatoprotective effect of lingonberry, cranberry and blueberry polyphenols on carbon tetrachloride (CCL-4)-induced acute and subacute liver injury in rats. A total of 55 male Wistar rats, divided into six experimental and control groups. With the exception of the negative control group, all groups received an intraperitoneal injection of CCl-4, twice a week for 14 days. An extract of lingonberry, cranberry, blueberry polyphenols and the positive control, silymarin were administered daily via intragastric route, for 14 consecutive days. The untreated control group showed characteristic of classical oxidative stress-mediated liver damage with vacuolization of the hepatocyte cytoplasm, infiltration by immune cells and proliferation of collagen fibers, decrease in body weight and increase in liver weight; increased levels of AST and ALT in serum, an increased lipid peroxidation in the liver. However, the use of cranberry and blueberry polyphenols significantly suppressed liver damage, exerting an effect comparable to the hepatoprotective effect of the positive control. The extracts prevented and reduced inflammatory liver damage by reducing IL-6, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma levels. In conclusion, blueberry and cranberry extracts have a protective effect against acute and subacute CCl4induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

While the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is steadily increasing worldwide, no optimal pharmacotherapy is readily available to address its multifaceted risk factors and halt its complications. This growing challenge mandates the development of other future curative directions. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the efficacy of cranberry proanthocyanidins (PACs) in improving MetS pathological conditions and liver complications; C57BL/6J mice were fed either a standard chow or a high fat/high sucrose (HFHS) diet with and without PACs (200 mg/kg), delivered by daily gavage for 12 weeks. Our results show that PACs lowered HFHS-induced obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperlipidemia. In conjunction, PACs lessened circulatory markers of oxidative stress (OxS) and inflammation. Similarly, the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory capacities of PACs were noted in the liver in association with improved hepatic steatosis. Inhibition of lipogenesis and stimulation of beta-oxidation could account for PACs-mediated decline of fatty liver as evidenced not only by the expression of rate-limiting enzymes but also by the status of AMPK alpha (the key sensor of cellular energy) and the powerful transcription factors (PPAR alpha, PGC1 alpha, SREBP1c, ChREBP). Likewise, treatment with PACs resulted in the downregulation of critical enzymes of liver gluconeogenesis, a process contributing to increased rates of glucose production in type 2 diabetes. Our findings demonstrate that PACs prevented obesity and improved insulin resistance likely via suppression of OxS and inflammation while diminishing hyperlipidemia and fatty liver disease, as clear evidence for their strength of fighting the cluster of MetS abnormalities.

We recently reported that cranberry proanthocyanidins (C-PACs) inhibit esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) by 83% through reversing reflux-induced bacterial, inflammatory and immune-implicated proteins and genes as well as reducing esophageal bile acids, which drive EAC progression. This study investigated whether C-PACs' mitigation of bile reflux-induced transporter dysregulation mechanistically contributes to EAC prevention. RNA was isolated from water-, C-PAC- and reflux-exposed rat esophagi with and without C-PAC treatment. Differential gene expression was determined by means of RNA sequencing and RT-PCR, followed by protein assessments. The literature, coupled with the publicly available Gene Expression Omnibus dataset GSE26886, was used to assess transporter expression levels in normal and EAC patient biopsies for translational relevance. Significant changes in ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters implicated in therapeutic resistance in humans (i.e., Abcb1, Abcb4, Abcc1, Abcc3, Abcc4, Abcc6 and Abcc10) and the transport of drugs, xenobiotics, lipids, and bile were altered in the reflux model with C-PACs' mitigating changes. Additionally, C-PACs restored reflux-induced changes in solute carrier (SLC), aquaporin, proton and cation transporters (i.e., Slc2a1, Slc7a11, Slc9a1, Slco2a1 and Atp6v0c). This research supports the suggestion that transporters merit investigation not only for their roles in metabolism and therapeutic resistance, but as targets for cancer prevention and targeting preventive agents in combination with chemotherapeutics.

Background Astronauts undergo significant microgravity-induced bone loss during space missions, which has become one of the three major medical problems hindering human's long-term space flight. A risk-free and antiresorptive drug is urgently needed to prevent bone loss during space missions. D-mannose is a natural C-2 epimer of D-glucose and is abundant in cranberries. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects and potential mechanisms of D-mannose against bone loss under weightlessness. Methods The hind legs of tail-suspended (TS) rats were used to mimic weightlessness on Earth. Rats were administered D-mannose intragastrically. The osteoclastogenic and osteogenic capacity of D-mannose in vitro and in vivo was analyzed by micro-computed tomography, biomechanical assessment, bone histology, serum markers of bone metabolism, cell proliferation assay, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and western blotting. RNA-seq transcriptomic analysis was performed to detect the underlying mechanisms of D-mannose in bone protection. Results The TS rats showed lower bone mineral density (BMD) and poorer bone morphological indices. D-mannose could improve BMD in TS rats. D-mannose inhibited osteoclast proliferation and fusion in vitro, without apparent effects on osteoblasts. RNA-seq transcriptomic analysis showed that D-mannose administration significantly inhibited the cell fusion molecule dendritic cell-specific transmembrane protein (DC-STAMP) and two indispensable transcription factors for osteoclast fusion (c-Fos and nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 [NFATc1]). Finally, TS rats tended to experience dysuria-related urinary tract infections (UTIs), which were suppressed by treatment with D-mannose. Conclusion D-mannose protected against bone loss and UTIs in rats under weightlessness. The bone protective effects of D-mannose were mediated by inhibiting osteoclast cell fusion. Our findings provide a potential strategy to protect against bone loss and UTIs during space missions.

The gut and local esophageal microbiome progressively shift from healthy commensal bacteria to inflammation -linked pathogenic bacteria in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, Barrett's esophagus, and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). However, mechanisms by which microbial communities and metabolites contribute to reflux-driven EAC remain incompletely understood and challenging to target. Herein, we utilized a rat reflux-induced EAC model to investigate targeting the gut microbiome-esophageal metabolome axis with cranberry proanthocyanidins (C -PAC) to inhibit EAC progression. Sprague-Dawley rats, with or without reflux induction, received water or C -PAC ad libitum (700 mu g/rat/day) for 25 or 40 weeks. C -PAC exerted prebiotic activity abrogating reflux-induced dysbiosis and mitigating bile acid metabolism and transport, culminating in significant inhibition of EAC through TLR/NF-kappa B/TP53 signaling cascades. At the species level, C -PAC mitigated reflux-induced pathogenic bacteria (Streptococcus parasanguinis, Escherichia coli, and Proteus mirabilis). C -PAC specifically reversed reflux-induced bacterial, inflammatory, and immune -implicated proteins and genes, including Ccl4, Cd14, Crp, Cxcl1,Il6,Il1b, Lbp, Lcn2, Myd88, Nfkb1, Tlr2, and Tlr4, aligning with changes in human EAC progression, as confirmed through public databases. C -PAC is a safe, promising dietary constituent that may be utilized alone or potentially as an adjuvant to current therapies to prevent EAC progression through ameliorating reflux-induced dysbiosis, inflammation, and cellular damage.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of cranberry fruit powder (CFP) on the physicochemical and bioactive properties of yogurt. The addition of CFP before fermentation enhanced the amount of total flavonoid, proanthocyanidin, antioxidant capacity and elastic modulus of yogurt compared with the control. In the experiment of ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice, the levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-1 beta were statistically lower in the CFPY group than that of DSS group. Moreover, the histological lesions of UC mice were significantly ameliorated in the CFPY group. The pH value decreased significantly, but the sugar content, water holding capacity, susceptibility to syneresis improved a little during storage at 4 degrees C. The bacterial counts were more than the minimum recommended daily dose (6 log CFU/g) in CFP yogurt. The findings suggest that addition of CFP into yogurt is a promising option of producing novel yogurts with nutrition value and bioactivity.