Chemopreventive and Therapeutic Effects of Edible Berries: A Focus on Colon Cancer Prevention and Treatment

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 21; no. 2; p. 169
• Main Authors: Afrin, Sadia, Giampieri, Francesca, Gasparrini, Massimiliano, Forbes-Hernandez, Tamara Y, Varela-López, Alfonso, Quiles, José L, Mezzetti, Bruno, Battino, Maurizio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 30.01.2016; MDPI
• Subjects: 1-Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; AKT protein; Angiogenesis; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Antioxidants - therapeutic use; Berries; berry; bioactive compound; Bioactive compounds; Biological activity; Cell Line, Tumor; chemoprevention; Clinical Trials as Topic; Colon; Colon cancer; Colonic Neoplasms - drug therapy; Colonic Neoplasms - prevention & control; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal carcinoma; Epidemiology; Fruit - chemistry; Health risks; Humans; In vivo methods and tests; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Intestine; MAP kinase; NF-κB protein; Oxidative stress; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; polyphenol; Review; Signal Transduction - drug effects; TOR protein; Wnt protein; β-Catenin; berry; chemoprevention; polyphenol; bioactive compound; colon cancer
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules21020169

Colon cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases across the world. Numerous epidemiological studies indicate that diets rich in fruit, such as berries, provide significant health benefits against several types of cancer, including colon cancer. The anticancer activities of berries are attributed to their high content of phytochemicals and to their relevant antioxidant properties. In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that berries and their bioactive components exert therapeutic and preventive effects against colon cancer by the suppression of inflammation, oxidative stress, proliferation and angiogenesis, through the modulation of multiple signaling pathways such as NF-κB, Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/AKT/PKB/mTOR, and ERK/MAPK. Based on the exciting outcomes of preclinical studies, a few berries have advanced to the clinical phase. A limited number of human studies have shown that consumption of berries can prevent colorectal cancer, especially in patients at high risk (familial adenopolyposis or aberrant crypt foci, and inflammatory bowel diseases). In this review, we aim to highlight the findings of berries and their bioactive compounds in colon cancer from in vitro and in vivo studies, both on animals and humans. Thus, this review could be a useful step towards the next phase of berry research in colon cancer.