Raspberry protective role in inflammatory diseases: An overview

Inflammation is a natural immune response triggered by multiple factors such as pathogens, damaged cells, and toxic substances. These triggers can lead to both acute and chronic inflammatory reactions in different tissues, contributing to the development of several inflammatory disorders, including cardiovascular diseases, neuroinflammation, arthritis, and cancer. Both infectious and non-infectious stimuli activate immune cells and initiate critical inflammatory signaling pathways. Raspberries (Rubus idaeus) are abundant in bioactive constituents, especially polyphenols like anthocyanins, flavanols, phenolic acids, urolithin A, and ellagic acid, all of which possess notable anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities. These compounds have been shown to regulate various inflammatory signaling pathways, including MAPKs, NF-κB, PI3K/Akt, AP-1, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, CD40, nitric oxide (NO), caspases, and the JAK-STAT pathway. Studies have emphasized their broad pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, gastroprotective, anti-obesity, skin depigmenting, and bone-regenerative properties. This review emphasizes mechanistic insights into raspberries' protective roles in managing inflammatory-related disorders, particularly cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative conditions, and cancer, and highlights their therapeutic potential.