Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis) fruit: a critical review of its functional nutrients, processing methods, health-promoting effects, comprehensive application and future tendencies.

Gardenia fruit (GF) is the mature fruit of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis, boasting a rich array of nutrients and phytochemicals. Over time, GF has been extensively utilized in both food and medicinal contexts. In recent years, numerous studies have delved into the chemical constituents of GF and their associated pharmacological activities, encompassing its phytochemical composition and health-promoting properties. This review aims to provide a critical and comprehensive summary of GF research, covering nutrient content, extraction technologies, and potential health benefits, offering new avenues for future investigations and highlighting its potential as an innovative food resource. Additionally, the review proposes novel industrial applications for GF, such as utilizing gardenia yellow/red/blue pigments in the food industry and incorporating it with other herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. By addressing current challenges in developing GF-related products, this work provides insights for potential applications in the cosmetics, food, and health products industries. Notably, there is a need for the development of more efficient extraction methods to harness the nutritional components of GF fully. Further research is needed to understand the specific molecular mechanisms underlying its bioactivities. Exploring advanced processing techniques to create innovative GF-derived products will show great promise for the future.

Red raspberry supplementation mitigates alcohol-induced liver injury associated with gut microbiota alteration and intestinal barrier dysfunction in mice.

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is still a global health concern. Long-term alcohol intake alters the gut microbiota diversity and metabolic activity, and causes intestinal barrier dysfunction, leading to the development of ALD. This research explored the protective effects and underlying mechanisms of red raspberry (RR) on alcohol-related disorders in mice. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a standard diet or a standard diet supplemented with 2%, 4%, and 8% weight/weight RR. Meanwhile, mice were administered 35% (v/v) ethanol (EtOH, 10 mL per kg body weight) intragastrically once daily for six weeks, except the control group mice. The results showed that RR supplementation decreased liver injury markers (alanine and aspartate transaminases) in the serum, reduced triglyceride level in the liver and downregulated hepatic cytochrome P450 2E1 mRNA expression in mice administered EtOH. In addition, EtOH-mediated oxidative stress in the liver was attenuated by RR supplementation through decreased hepatic malondialdehyde content and increased antioxidant (glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase) levels and activities in mice exposed to EtOH. Moreover, RR supplementation reversed EtOH-induced alteration in the cecal microbial composition at the phylum, order, genus, and species levels and improved the intestinal barrier function associated with the inhibition of the NF-κB/MLCK pathway, which was accompanied by upregulation of tight junctions (zonula occludens 1, occludin, claudin-1, and claudin-4) and E-cadherin mRNA and protein expressions. Accordingly, RR supplementation resulted in a decreased level of endotoxins in the serum and attenuation of the inflammatory response in the liver, illustrated by a significant decrease in tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-6 levels. Overall, RR supplementation alleviated the adverse effects of chronic alcohol intake in C57BL/6J mice and could be a potential supplement for improving ALD.