molecules Review Chemopreventive and Therapeutic Effects of Edible Berries: A Focus on Colon Cancer Prevention and Treatment Sadia Afrin 1, Francesca Giampieri 1, Massimiliano Gasparrini 1, Tamara Y. Forbes-Hernandez 1, Alfonso Varela-López 2, José L. Quiles 2, Bruno Mezzetti 3 and Maurizio Battino 1,4,* 1 Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche ed Odontostomatologiche (DISCO)-Sez. Biochimica, Facoltà di Medicina, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona 60131, Italy;
[email protected] (S.A.);
[email protected] (F.G.);
[email protected] (M.G.);
[email protected] (T.Y.F.-H.) 2 Department of Physiology, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology “José Mataix”, Biomedical Research Centre, University of Granada, Armilla, Avda. del Conocimiento s.n., Armilla 18100, Spain;
[email protected] (A.V.-L.);
[email protected] (J.L.Q.) 3 Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Ranieri 65, Ancona 60131, Italy;
[email protected] 4 Centre for Nutrition & Health, Universidad Europea del Atlantico (UEA), Santander 39011, Spain * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +39-071-220-4646; Fax: +39-071-220-4123 Academic Editor: Derek J. McPhee Received: 30 December 2015; Accepted: 26 January 2016; Published: 30 January 2016 Abstract: 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.