title: The genetic aspects of berries: from field to health.
abstract: Berries are a relevant source of micronutrients and nonessential phytochemicals, such as polyphenol compounds, that play a synergistic and cumulative role in human health promotion. Several systematic analyses showed that berry phenolics are able to detoxify reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, blocking their production, to intervene in the cell cycle, participating in the transduction and expression of genes involved in apoptosis, and to repair oxidative DNA damage. As a consequence, the improvement of the nutritional quality of berries has become a new quality target of breeding and biotechnological strategies, to control or to increase the content of specific health-related compounds in fruits. This work reviews, on the basis of the in vitro and in vivo evidence, the main berries' phytochemical compounds and their possible mechanisms of action on pathways involved in several type of diseases, with particular attention to cancer, inflammation, neurodegeneration, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
authors: Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche ed Odontostomatologiche (DISCO), Facoltà di Medicina, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors: Luca
authors: L
authors: Mazzoni
authors: Department of Physiology, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology 'José Mataix, Biomedical Research Center, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors: Patricia
authors: P
authors: Perez-Lopez
authors: Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors: Francesca
authors: F
authors: Giampieri
authors: Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche ed Odontostomatologiche (DISCO), Facoltà di Medicina, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.|Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo, Riobamba, Ecuador.
authors: Jose M
authors: JM
authors: Alvarez-Suarez
authors: Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche ed Odontostomatologiche (DISCO), Facoltà di Medicina, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors: Massimiliano
authors: M
authors: Gasparrini
authors: Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche ed Odontostomatologiche (DISCO), Facoltà di Medicina, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.|Area de Nutrición y Salud, Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana (UNINI), Campeche, CP, 24040, Mexico.
authors: Tamara Y
authors: TY
authors: Forbes-Hernandez
authors: Department of Physiology, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology 'José Mataix, Biomedical Research Center, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors: Jose L
authors: JL
authors: Quiles
authors: Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors: Bruno
authors: B
authors: Mezzetti
authors: Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche ed Odontostomatologiche (DISCO), Facoltà di Medicina, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.|Director Centre for Nutrition and Health, Universidad Europea del Atlantico (UEA), Santander, 39011, Spain.
authors: Maurizio
authors: M
authors: Battino
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001682:Biological Availability; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D009753:Nutritive Value; D008517:Phytotherapy; D059808:Polyphenols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D059808:Polyphenols
keywords: berries; bioactive compounds; cancer; genetic improvement; inflammation; neurological diseases