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Unripe Rubus occidentalis (uRO) contains various natural polyphenols with beneficial physiological activities and is particularly rich in ellagic acid (EA). EA has ameliorated type 2 inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in animal models of eosinophilic asthma. EA is metabolized by the gut microbiota to urolithin A (UA), which exhibits anti-inflammatory properties. However, it remains unclear whether uRO, EA, and UA reduce inflammatory responses and oxidative stress in respiratory epithelial cells and neutrophils. In this study, inflammation was induced in A549 (human lung epithelial cells) and dHL-60 cells (neutrophil-like cells differentiated from human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells) and treated with various concentrations of water extract of uRO (uRO-w), EA, and UA. EA, uRO-w and UA suppressed the inflammatory cytokine and chemokine levels and reduced the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in A549 cells stimulated with IL-1β. As a result of analyzing the mechanism by which these inflammatory molecules are expressed, it was found that EA, uRO-w, and UA regulated corticosteroid-sensitive mitogen activated protein kinase, nuclear factor κB, and corticosteroid-insensitive AKT. In addition, uRO-w, EA, and UA significantly reduced reactive oxygen species levels in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-stimulated dHL-60 cells and inhibited neutrophil extracellular trap formation. Therefore, our results suggest that uRO-w, EA, and UA are potential therapeutic agents for preventing and treating inflammatory respiratory diseases.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are one of the most diagnosed malignancies globally, with a 5-year survival rate of approximately 40% to 50%. Current therapies are limited to highly invasive surgery, aggressive radiation, and chemotherapies. Recent reports have demonstrated the potential phytochemical properties of black raspberries in inhibiting the progression of various cancers including HNSCCs. However, the effects of black raspberry extracts on immune cells of the tumor microenvironment, specifically regulatory T cells during HNSCC, have not been investigated. We used a mouse model of 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO) chemically induced HNSCC carcinogenesis to determine these effects. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to 4NQO for 16 weeks and regular water for 8 weeks. 4NQO-exposed mice were fed the AIN-76A control mouse diet or the AIN76 diet supplemented with black raspberry extract. At terminal sacrifice, tumor burdens and immune cell recruitment and activity were analyzed in the tumor microenvironment, draining lymph nodes, and spleens. Mice fed the BRB extract-supplemented diet displayed decreased tumor burden compared to mice provided the AIN-76A control diet. Black raspberry extract administration did not affect overall T-cell populations as well as Th1, Th2, or Th17 differentiation in spleens and tumor draining lymph nodes. However, dietary black raspberry extract administration inhibited regulatory T-cell recruitment to HNSCC tumor sites. This was associated with an increased cytotoxic immune response in the tumor microenvironment characterized by increased CD8 + T cells and enhanced Granzyme B production during BRB extract-mediated HNSCC chemoprevention. Interestingly, this enhanced CD8 + T-cell antitumoral response was localized at the tumor sites but not at spleens and draining lymph nodes. Furthermore, we found decreased levels of PD-L1 expression by myeloid populations in draining lymph nodes of black raspberry-administered carcinogen-induced mice. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that black raspberry extract inhibits regulatory T-cell recruitment and promotes cytotoxic CD8 T-cell activity at tumor sites during HNSCC chemoprevention. These results demonstrate the immunomodulatory potential of black raspberry extracts and support the use of black raspberry-derived phytochemicals as a complementary approach to HNSCC chemoprevention and treatment.

The aim of this study was to compare the antioxidant potential in the fruits of different hybrids of Rubus idaeus and Rubus occidentalis (four hybrids) against the fruit of known cultivars of both species (R. idaeus—three cultivars; R. occidentalis—five cultivars) and, using chemometric analysis, to select factors affecting the level of polyphenols and antioxidant properties. Antioxidant activity was determined using the ABTS, DPPH and FRAP tests. Chemometric analysis enabled the separation of R. idaeus and R. occidentalis cultivars and classified the hybrid R. idaeus/R. occidentalis R1314701 as belonging to the R. occidentalis species. Moreover, two hybrids, Rubus occidentalis/Rubus idaeus R1613411 and R. idaeus/R. occidentalis R1613409, can be classified as a purple raspberry. Crossbreeding species/cultivars of the Rubus genus may result in an increased content of anthocyanins, but on the other hand, it may lead to a reduction in free radical scavenging activity in the ABTS and DPPH. Spearman’s correlations confirm the correlations between the total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity in the DPPH, ABTS and FRAP, as well as the anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity in the ABTS and FRAP tests. Chemometric analysis can be an effective tool in determining the species affiliation of obtained hybrids and cultivars.

SUMMARY The aim of this study is to develop an efficient in vitro multiplication and rooting system for black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis L.). To stimulate the process of rhizogenesis under in vitro conditions, auxins - IBA, TAA, NAA (indole-3-butyric acid, indole-3-acetic acid, naphthaleneacetic acid) were tested at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.2 mg/l, addition of myo-inositol (500 mg/l) based on MS medium with reduced salt concentration. [...]Rubus occidentalis L., is also of interest for selection and is commonly used as a donor of resistance to root rot (genus Phytophtora) and the large raspberry aphid (Amphorophora idaei Borh), a vector of raspberry mosaic virus in Europe (Drain 1956; Ellis ег al., 1992; Dossett ег al., 2008; Dossett and Finn 2010). The aim of the present study 1s to investigate the influence of the type and concentration of the growth regulators BAP, TDZ and the organic additives casein hydrolisate and myo-inositol on the in vitro cultivation, multiplication and rooting of the cultivar Cumberland (Rubus occidentalis L.).

Rubus L. is one of the most diverse genera belonging to Rosaceae; it consists of more than 700 species with a worldwide distribution. It thus provides an ideal natural “supergenus” for studying the importance of its edible, medicinal, and phylogenetic characteristics for application in our daily lives and fundamental scientific studies. The Rubus genus includes many economically important species, such as blackberry (R. fruticosus L.), red raspberry (R. ideaus L.), black raspberry (R. occidentalis L.), and raspberry (R. chingii Hu), which are widely utilized in the fresh fruit market and the medicinal industry. Although Rubus species have existed in human civilization for hundreds of years, their utilization as fruit and in medicine is still largely inadequate, and many questions on their complex phylogenetic relationships need to be answered. In this review, we briefly summarize the history and progress of studies on Rubus, including its domestication as a source of fresh fruit, its medicinal uses in pharmacology, and its systematic position in the phylogenetic tree. Recent available evidence indicates that (1) thousands of Rubus cultivars were bred via time- and labor-consuming methods from only a few wild species, and new breeding strategies and germplasms were thus limited; (2) many kinds of species in Rubus have been used as medicinal herbs, though only a few species (R. ideaus L., R. chingii Hu, and R. occidentalis L.) have been well studied; (3) the phylogeny of Rubus is very complex, with the main reason for this possibly being the existence of multiple reproductive strategies (apomixis, hybridization, and polyploidization). Our review addresses the utilization of Rubus, summarizing major relevant achievements and proposing core prospects for future application, and thus could serve as a useful roadmap for future elite cultivar breeding and scientific studies.

Seeds contain a variety of phytochemicals that exhibit a wide range of biological activities. Plant-derived compounds are often investigated for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, hypoglycemic, anti-hypercholesterolemic, anti-hypertensive, anti-platelet, anti-apoptotic, anti-nociceptive, antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer, hepatoprotective, or neuroprotective properties. In this review, we have described the chemical content and biological activity of seeds from eight selected plant species—blackberry (Rubus fruticosus L.), black raspberry (Rubus coreanus Miq.), grape (Vitis vinifera L.), Moringa oleifera Lam., sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.), Gac (Momordica cochinchinensis Sprenger), hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), and sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L). This review is based on studies identified in electronic databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, and SCOPUS. Numerous preclinical, and some clinical studies have found that extracts, fractions, oil, flour, proteins, polysaccharides, or purified chemical compounds isolated from the seeds of these plants display promising, health-promoting effects, and could be utilized in drug development, or to make nutraceuticals and functional foods. Despite that, many of these properties have been studied only in vitro, and it’s unsure if their effects would be relevant in vivo as well, so there is a need for more animal studies and clinical trials that would help determine if they could be applied in disease prevention or treatment.

This study aimed to investigate the biological activities of Lactobacillus gasseri SM 05 ( L. gasseri ) and Lacticaseibacillus casei subsp. casei PTCC 1608 ( L. casei ) in the black raspberry ( Rubus dolichocarpus ) juice (BRJ) environment, and also the anti-adhesion activity against Salmonella typhimurium ( S . typhimurium ) in fermented black raspberry juice (FBRJ). Results showed significant anti-adhesion activity in Caco-2 epithelial cells. In the anti-adhesion process, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) improve intestinal health by preventing the adhesion of pathogens. Adding LAB to BRJ produces metabolites with bacteriocin properties. Major findings of this research include improved intestinal health, improved antidiabetic properties, inhibition of degradation of amino acids, and increase in the nutritional value of foods that have been subjected to heat processing by preventing Maillard inhibition, and inhibition of oxidation of foodstuff by increased antioxidant activity of BRJ. Both species of Lactobacillus effectively controlled the growth of S . typhimurium during BRJ fermentation. Moreover, in all tests, as well as Maillard's and α-amylase inhibition, L. gasseri was more effective than L. casei . The phenolic and flavonoid compounds increased significantly after fermentation by both LAB ( p  < 0.05). Adding Stevia extract to FBRJ and performing the HHP process showed convenient protection of phenolic compounds compared to heat processing.

Raspberries ( Rubus spp) are temperate climate fruits with profitable high returns and have the potential for diversification of fruit growing in mid to low-latitude regions. However, there are still no cultivars adapted to climatic conditions and high pressure of diseases that occurs in tropical areas. In this context, our objective was to evaluate the genetic diversity from a 116 raspberry genotypes panel obtained from interspecific crosses in a testcross scheme with four cultivars already introduced in Brazil. The panel was genotyped via genotyping-by-sequencing. 28,373 and 27,281 SNPs were obtained, using the species R. occidentalis and R. idaeus genomes as references, respectively. A third marker dataset was constructed consisting of 41,292 non-coincident markers. Overall, there were no differences in the results when using the different marker sets for the subsequent analyses. The mean heterozygosity was 0.54. The average effective population size was 174, indicating great genetic variability. The other analyses revealed that the half-sibling families were structured in three groups. It is concluded that the studied panel has great potential for breeding and further genetic studies. Moreover, only one of the three marker matrices is sufficient for diversity studies.

Raspberry ( Rubus idaeus L.) is susceptible to aphid-borne viruses. We studied the incidence of four of them – black raspberry necrosis virus (BRNV), raspberry leaf mottle virus (RLMV), raspberry vein chlorosis virus (RVCV), and Rubus yellow net virus (RYNV) – in raspberry plants and aphids in and around Norwegian raspberry crops for three years (2019, 2021, and 2022). Most of the samples were from symptomatic plants. Applying RT-PCR, 274 leaf samples and 107 aphid samples were analyzed. All four viruses were found, but BRNV dominated: it was detected in 93% of the 178 leaf samples with virus and was the only virus that occurred more frequently as a single infection than in co-infections with the other viruses. The old cv. Veten had the highest virus incidence (97%) among the sampled plants, followed by uncultivated raspberry in the boundary vegetation (82%). All aphids identified were Amphorophora idaei and Aphis idaei. BRNV and/or RLMV was detected in 27% of the aphid samples. Notably, BRNV was detected in 30% of A. idaei samples, a species not known as a BRNV vector. In subsequent transmission experiments we found that although A. idaei can acquire BRNV within one hour, it did not transmit the virus to healthy raspberry plants. In contrast, Am. idaei , a known BRNV vector, was able to acquire the virus within one minute and transmit it within one hour of inoculation. Our study will improve the identification and management of BRNV.

Blackberries (Rubus spp.) are the fourth most economically important berry crop worldwide. Genome assemblies and annotations have been developed for Rubus species in subgenus Idaeobatus, including black raspberry (R. occidentalis), red raspberry (R. idaeus), and R. chingii, but very few genomic resources exist for blackberries and their relatives in subgenus Rubus. Here we present a chromosome-length assembly and annotation of the diploid blackberry germplasm accession “Hillquist” (R. argutus). “Hillquist” is the only known source of primocane-fruiting (annual-fruiting) in tetraploid fresh-market blackberry breeding programs and is represented in the pedigree of many important cultivars worldwide. The “Hillquist” assembly, generated using Pacific Biosciences long reads scaffolded with high-throughput chromosome conformation capture sequencing, consisted of 298 Mb, of which 270 Mb (90%) was placed on 7 chromosome-length scaffolds with an average length of 38.6 Mb. Approximately 52.8% of the genome was composed of repetitive elements. The genome sequence was highly collinear with a novel maternal haplotype-resolved linkage map of the tetraploid blackberry selection A-2551TN and genome assemblies of R. chingii and red raspberry. A total of 38,503 protein-coding genes were predicted, of which 72% were functionally annotated. Eighteen flowering gene homologs within a previously mapped locus aligning to an 11.2 Mb region on chromosome Ra02 were identified as potential candidate genes for primocane-fruiting. The utility of the “Hillquist” genome has been demonstrated here by the development of the first genotyping-by-sequencing-based linkage map of tetraploid blackberry and the identification of possible candidate genes for primocane-fruiting. This chromosome-length assembly will facilitate future studies in Rubus biology, genetics, and genomics and strengthen applied breeding programs.