Tart Cherry Extract and Omega Fatty Acids Reduce Behavioral Deficits, Gliosis, and Amyloid-Beta Deposition in the 5xFAD Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

Combined treatments using polyphenols and omega fatty acids provide several therapeutic benefits for a variety of age-related disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Previously, we found a commercial product, Total Body Rhythm (TBR), consisting of tart cherry extract, a potent polyphenol, and omega fatty acids, significantly reduced memory, and neuropathological deficits in the 192 IgG-saporin mouse model of AD. The present study assessed the efficacy of TBR for treating behavioral and neuropathological deficits in the 5xFAD model of AD. Both 6- and 12-month-old 5xFAD mice and age-matched wild-type controls received TBR (60 mg/kg) or the equivalent dose of vehicle (0.5% methylcellulose) via oral administration, every other day for two months. All mice were tested in the open field (OF), novel object recognition (NOR), and the Morris water maze (MWM) tasks. In addition, neuronal morphology, neurodegeneration, Aβ plaque load, and glial activation were assessed. TBR treatment reduced memory deficits in the MWM and NOR tests and lessened anxiety levels in the OF task, mostly in the 6-month-old male mice. TBR also protected against neuron loss, reduced activation of astrocytes and microglia, primarily in 6-month-old mice, and attenuated Aβ deposition. These results suggest that the combination of tart cherry extract and omega fatty acids in TBR can reduce AD-like deficits in 5xFAD mice.

Resistance to Boscalid, Fluopyram and Fluxapyroxad in Blumeriella jaapii from Michigan (U.S.A.): Molecular Characterization and Assessment of Practical Resistance in Commercial Cherry Orchards

Management of cherry leaf spot disease, caused by the fungus Blumeriella jaapii, with succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) fungicides has been ongoing in Michigan tart cherry orchards for the past 17 years. After boscalid-resistant B. jaapii were first isolated from commercial orchards in 2010, premixes of SDHI fungicides fluopyram or fluxapyroxad with a quinone outside inhibitor were registered in 2012. Here, we report widespread resistance to fluopyram (FluoR), fluxapyroxad (FluxR), and boscalid (BoscR) in commercial orchard populations of B. jaapii in Michigan from surveys conducted between 2016 and 2019. A total of 26% of 1610 isolates from the 2016–2017 surveys exhibited the fully-resistant BoscR FluoR FluxR phenotype and only 7% were sensitive to all three SDHIs. Practical resistance to fluopyram and fluxapyroxad was detected in 29 of 35 and 14 of 35 commercial tart cherry orchards, respectively, in surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019. Sequencing of the SdhB, SdhC, and SdhD target genes from 22 isolates with varying resistance phenotypes showed that BoscS FluoR FluxS isolates harbored either an I262V substitution in SdhB or an S84L substitution in SdhC. BoscR FluoR FluxR isolates harbored an N86S substitution in SdhC, or contained the N86S substitution with the additional I262V substitution in SdhB. One BoscR FluoR FluxR isolate contained both the I262V substitution in SdhB and the S84L substitution in SdhC. These mutational analyses suggest that BoscR FluoR FluxR isolates evolved from fully sensitive BoscS, FluoS, FluxS isolates in the population and not from boscalid-resistant isolates that were prevalent in the 2010–2012 time period.

Quantitative Survey of ‘Montmorency’ Tart Cherry Orchard Design in Utah

‘Montmorency’ tart cherry trees (Prunus cerasus L.) are grown commercially in the United States in low-density systems. Commercial tart cherry orchard design has not changed significantly over the past 50 years, but there is some variation from farm to farm in management strategies, including tree spacing, training, and pruning, and the resulting orchard production and turnover. Canopy dimensions and dynamics are important considerations for evaluating and improving orchard management strategies but are not well documented for tart cherry systems. Current orchard design and canopy management strategies were surveyed along a gradient of orchard age across five commercial farming operations in Utah. Trunk cross-sectional area and various canopy dimensions, including spread and volume, were quantified to capture tree size and canopy architecture. The survey indicated a surprising lack of deviation in orchard design in the region over the last several decades with higher variation among blocks within a farm than across farms. As a result, the survey revealed trends in tree growth and canopy structure across the range in orchard ages despite differences in management approaches of the surveyed farms. These trends were useful in illustrating canopy development and space fill. Tree age between 11 and 15 years after planting was determined to represent a transition between establishment and mature growth, where canopies filled available row space and began experiencing senescing canopy structure. Based on the distribution of ages captured in the survey, a significant number of orchards in Utah are at an age range of 11–15 years, perhaps contributing to superior yields per land area reported for the region. The confluence of space-fill and canopy development described in this study highlights a critical period for tart cherry orchard management at the transition of canopy establishment and maturity. These baseline dynamics will provide benchmarks for evaluating strategies for refining and improving orchard management systems for tart cherry in the Intermountain West region.

Effects of Montmorency Tart Cherry and Blueberry Juice on Cardiometabolic Outcomes in Healthy Individuals: Protocol for a 3-Arm Placebo Randomized Controlled Trial

Cardiometabolic disease is recognized as the predominant cause of global mortality and healthcare expenditure. Whilst pharmaceutical interventions are effective in the short term, their long-term efficacy remain equivocal and their associated side-effects are concerning. Owing to their high levels of anthocyanins, Montmorency tart cherries and blueberries have been cited as potentially important natural treatment/preventative modalities for cardiometabolic disease. This study proposed a randomized controlled trial, aims to test the effects of consumption of Montmorency tart cherry and blueberry juice on cardiometabolic outcomes compared to placebo. This 20-day, parallel, single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial will recruit 45 individuals, who will be assigned to receive 60 mL per day of either Montmorency tart cherry juice, blueberry juice or a cherry/blueberry flavoured placebo. The primary study outcome is the between-group difference in systolic blood pressure from baseline to post-intervention. Secondary outcome measures will be between-group differences in anthropometric, energy expenditure and substrate oxidation (during rest and physical activity), haematological, blood pressure/resting heart rate, psychological wellbeing and sleep efficacy indices. Statistical analysis will be conducted on an intention-to-treat basis. This study has been granted ethical approval by the University of Central Lancashire, Health Research Ethics Committee (ref: HEALTH 0016) and formally registered as a trial. Dissemination of the study findings from this investigation will be through publication in a leading peer-reviewed journal.

Thirty Days of Montmorency Tart Cherry Supplementation Has No Effect on Gut Microbiome Composition, Inflammation, or Glycemic Control in Healthy Adults

Tart cherries possess properties that may reduce inflammation and improve glycemic control, however human data on supplementation and the gut microbiota is equivocal. Processing (i.e., juice concentrate, dried, frozen) may affect the properties of tart cherries, and therefore alter their efficacious health benefits. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 30 days of supplementation with Montmorency tart cherry (MTC) in concentrate or freeze-dried form on the gut microbiome and markers of inflammation and glycemic control. Healthy participants with no known disease (n = 58, age: 28 ± 10 y, height: 169.76 ± 8.55 cm, body mass: 72.2 ± 12.9 kg) were randomly allocated to four groups and consumed either concentrate or freeze-dried capsules or their corresponding placebos for 30 days. Venous blood samples were drawn at baseline, day 7, 14, and 30 and analyzed for inflammatory markers TNF-alpha, uric acid, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate and glycemic control markers glycated albumin, glucose and insulin. A fecal sample was provided at baseline, day 14 and 30 for microbiome analysis. TNF-alpha was significantly lower at 30 vs. 14 days (p = 0.01), however there was no other significant change in the inflammatory markers. Insulin was not changed over time (p = 0.16) or between groups (p = 0.24), nor was glycated albumin different over time (p = 0.08) or between groups (p = 0.56), however glucose levels increased (p < 0.001) from baseline (4.79 ± 1.00 mmol·L−1) to 14 days (5.21 ± 1.02 mmol·L−1) and 30 days (5.61 ± 1.22 mmol·L−1) but this was no different between groups (p = 0.33). There was no significant change in composition of bacterial phyla, families, or subfamilies for the duration of this study nor was there a change in species richness. These data suggest that 30 days of MTC supplementation does not modulate the gut microbiome, inflammation, or improve glycemic control in a healthy, diverse group of adults.Clinical Trail Registration:https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04467372, identifier: NCT04467372.

Broad Spectrum Polyphenol Supplementation from Tart Cherry Extract on Markers of Recovery from Intense Resistance Exercise

Background Tart cherry supplementation has been shown to enhance recovery from strenuous exercise due to its antioxidant properties. The majority of these studies used tart cherry juice, with a significant calorie content. The primary purpose of this study was to assess whether powdered tart cherry extract with minimal calorie content reduces oxidative stress and enhances recovery following intense resistance exercise. Methods Thirteen men (mean age: 26.2 ± 5.3 years; height: 184.3 ± 8.2 cm; weight: 92.9 ± 15.6 kg) performed a demanding resistance exercise protocol consisting of 6 sets of 10 repetitions of barbell back squat with 80% 1RM. The protocol was performed once following 7 days of 500 mg of tart cherry extract and once following placebo. Serum protein carbonyl (PC) content, creatine kinase activity (CK) and creatine kinase myocardial band content (CK-MB) were used to assess oxidative stress, skeletal and cardiac muscle damage respectively. Muscle soreness was assessed by visual analog scale. Physical performance was measured by countermovement jump power and handgrip dynamometer strength. Results There was a significant increase in PC in the placebo (PL) condition when compared to the Tart Cherry (TC) condition at Immediate Post (IP) (PL: 0.4 ± 0.3 vs. TC: − 0.4 ± 0.2 nmol∙mg− 1; p < 0.001), 1 h (PL: 0.3 ± 0.3 vs. TC: − 0.7 ± 0.3 nmol∙mg− 1; p < 0.001) and 24 h (PL: 0.1 ± 0.4 vs. TC: − 0.3 ± 0.5 nmol∙mg− 1; p = 0.010). There was a significant increase in CK activity in PL when compared to the TC at IP (PL: 491.1 ± 280 vs. TC: 296.3 ± 178 U∙L− 1; p = 0.008) and 3 h (PL: − 87 ± 123 vs. TC: 43.1 ± 105.3 U∙L− 1; p = 0.006). There was a significant (p = 0.003) increase in CKMB concentration in PL when compared to the TC (PL: 21.6 ± 12.4 vs. TC: − 0.3 ± 11.8 ng∙ml− 1; p = 0.006) at 1 h post. There was a significant increase in handgrip strength in TC when compared to PL (PL: − 2 ± 5.1 vs. TC: 1.7 ± 3 kg; p = 0.017) at 24 h post. Conclusions This study demonstrated that tart cherry extract reduced oxidative stress and markers of muscle and cardiac damage following intense resistance exercise. This occurred along with a prevention of the decrease in handgrip strength seen following the intense exercise protocol, indicating a potential reduction in central fatigue. These benefits were seen with minimal energy intake.