Gray mold of blueberry caused by Botrytis sp. is reported for the first time in Korea. A detailed description of the fungus is given, along with its rDNA internal transcribed spacer sequence. The fungus was identified as Botrytis cinerea based on mycological characteristics and molecular data.
Blueberry Plant ; Botrytis ; DNA, Ribosomal ; Fungi ; Korea

Blueberry muffin rashes occur in various diseases including TORCH syndrome, transfusion reactions, leukemia, hereditary spherocytosis and neonatal sepsis. We report a case of congenital CMV(cytomegalovirus) infection showing blueberry muffin skin lesions which revealed dermal erythropoiesis. Even though these cutaneous findings were nonspecific, they could provide a valuable clue in approach the congenital viral infection in the perinatal period.
Blueberry Plant ; Erythropoiesis* ; Exanthema ; Leukemia ; Sepsis ; Skin* ; Transfusion Reaction

Basal stem rot symptoms were found on blueberry seedlings imported from the United States of America in 2008. The fungus obtained from the diseased seedlings was identified as Calonectria colhounii based on morphological and molecular characteristics. The consignments of the blueberry seedlings infected with C. colhounii were destroyed to prevent introduction of the fungus to Korea.
Americas ; Blueberry Plant ; Fungi ; Korea ; Seedlings ; United States

A total of 82 isolates of Colletotrichum species were obtained from anthracnose symptoms of highbush blueberry trees grown in the Gochang area of Korea during a disease survey in 2008. Out of the isolates, 75 were identified as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and the others as C. acutatum based on their morphological and cultural characteristics. Twenty six of C. gloeosporioides isolates produced their teleomorph Glomerella cingulata in PDA culture. Three isolates of each C. gloeosporioides and C. acutatum caused anthracnose symptoms on the leaves by artificial inoculation, which were similar to what was observed in the orchards. Previously in Korea, only C. gloeosporioides has been reported as causing anthracnose in blueberries. This is the first report that C. acutatum causes anthracnose in the highbush blueberry in Korea.
Blueberry Plant ; Colletotrichum ; Cultural Characteristics ; Korea ; Phyllachorales ; Trees

Blueberries are rich in phenolic compounds including anthocyanins which are closely related to biological health functions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antioxidant activity of blueberry anthocyanins extracted from 'Brightwell' rabbiteye blueberries in mice. After one week of adaptation, C57BL/6J healthy male mice were divided into different groups that were administered with 100, 400, or 800 mg/kg blueberry anthocyanin extract (BAE), and sacrificed at different time points (0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, or 12 h). The plasma, eyeball, intestine, liver, and adipose tissues were collected to compare their antioxidant activity, including total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-PX/GPX) content, and the oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde (MDA) level. The results showed that blueberry anthocyanins had positive concentration-dependent antioxidant activity in vivo. The greater the concentration of BAE, the higher the T-AOC value, but the lower the MDA level. The enzyme activity of SOD, the content of GSH-PX, and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of Cu,Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD, and GPX all confirmed that BAE played an antioxidant role after digestion in mice by improving their antioxidant defense. The in vivo antioxidant activity of BAE indicated that blueberry anthocyanins could be developed into functional foods or nutraceuticals with the aim of preventing or treating oxidative stress-related diseases.
Male ; Mice ; Animals ; Antioxidants/pharmacology* ; Blueberry Plants ; Anthocyanins/pharmacology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Plant Extracts/pharmacology* ; Superoxide Dismutase-1

Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora are well-known coccidian protozoa that can cause waterborne and foodborne diarrheal illnesses. There have been a few reports regarding contamination in different vegetables with Cryptosporidium, but no data are available regarding the sources of Cyclospora infections in Korea. In the present study, we collected 6 kinds of vegetables (perilla leaves, winter-grown cabbages, chives, sprouts, blueberries, and cherry tomatoes) from July 2014 to June 2015, and investigated contamination by these 2 protozoa using multiplex quantitative real-time PCR. Among 404 vegetables, Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora were detected in 31 (7.7%) and 5 (1.2%) samples, respectively. In addition, Cryptosporidium was isolated from all 6 kinds of vegetables, whereas Cyclospora was detected in 4 kinds of vegetables (except perilla leaves and chives). Cryptosporidium (17.8%) and Cyclospora (2.9%) had the highest detection rates in chives and winter-grown cabbages, respectively. Cryptosporidium was detected all year long; however, Cyclospora was detected only from October to January. In 2 samples (sprout and blueberry), both Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora were detected. Further investigations using TaqI restriction enzyme fragmentation and nested PCR confirmed Cryptosporidium parvum and Cyclospora cayetanensis, respectively. In conclusion, we detected C. cayetanensis in vegetables for the first time in Korea. This suggests that screening should be employed to prevent these protozoal infections in Korea.
Blueberry Plant ; Brassica ; Chive ; Cryptosporidium parvum ; Cryptosporidium* ; Cyclospora* ; Korea* ; Mass Screening ; Perilla ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Vegetables*

Blueberry was enzymatically hydrolyzed using selected commercial food grade carbohydrases (AMG, Celluclast, Termamyl, Ultraflo and Viscozyme) and proteases (Alcalase, Flavourzyme, Kojizyme, Neutrase and Protamex) to obtain water soluble compounds, and their protective effect was investigated against H2O2-induced damage in Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cell line (V79-4) via various published methods. Both AMG and Alcalase hydrolysates showed higher total phenolic content as well as higher cell viability and ROS scavenging activities, and hence, selected for further antioxidant assays. Both AMG and Alcalase hydrolysates also showed higher protective effects against lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and apoptotic body formation in a dose-dependent fashion. Thus, the results indicated that water soluble compounds obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of blueberry possess good antioxidant activity against H2O2-induced cell damage in vitro.
Animals ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blueberry Plant ; Cell Line ; Cell Survival ; Cricetinae ; Cricetulus ; DNA Damage ; Endopeptidases ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Hydrogen ; Hydrolysis ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Lung ; Metalloendopeptidases ; Peptide Hydrolases ; Phenol ; Subtilisins

PURPOSE: Fruit and vegetable juices are known to be rich sources of antioxidants, which have beneficial effects on diseases caused by oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to directly compare the antioxidant activities of fruit and vegetable juices marketed in Korea. METHODS: We analyzed four fruit juices, two vegetable juices, two yellow-green juices, and six mixed vegetable juices. Antioxidant activities were analyzed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS) test, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. Protective effects against DNA damage were determined using an ex vivo comet assay with human lymphocytes. RESULTS: DPPH radical scavenging activities were in the following order: blueberry juice > mixed vegetable C juice > kale juice > mixed vegetable P juice > grape juice. ABTS radical scavenging activities were in the following order: blueberry juice > mixed vegetable C juice > grape juice > mixed vegetable P juice > kale juice. Peroxyl radical scavenging activities as assessed by ORAC assay were in the following order: blueberry juice > kale juice > mixed vegetable C juice > grape juice. Grape or blueberry juice showed strong abilities to prevent DNA damage in lymphocytes, and the difference between them was not significant according to the GSTM1/GSTT1 genotype. CONCLUSION: Antioxidant activities of fruit and vegetable juices and ex vivo DNA protective activity increased in the order of blueberry juice, grape juice, and kale juice, although the rankings were slightly different. Therefore, these juices rich in polyphenols and flavonoids deserve more attention for their high antioxidant capacity.
Antioxidants ; Blueberry Plant ; Brassica ; Comet Assay ; DNA Damage* ; DNA* ; Flavonoids ; Fruit and Vegetable Juices* ; Fruit* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Korea* ; Lymphocytes* ; Oxidative Stress ; Oxygen ; Polyphenols ; Vegetables ; Vitis

BACKGROUND: Chemopreventive effects and the underlying mechanisms of blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) are not clearly understood in human. We hypothesized blueberry would work via antioxidative and epigenetic modulation, which is similar to vitamin C. METHODS: We performed a pilot and non-inferiority study in healthy young women (n = 12), who consumed vitamin C (1 g/d) or 240 mL of blueberry juice (total polyphenols 300 mg and proanthocyanidin 76 mg/d) for 2 weeks. We analyzed 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in their urine, and global and specific DNA methylation at the NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), or DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) genes in their blood. RESULTS: Urinary 8-OHdG levels were reduced by blueberry consumption rather than by vitamin C. The methylation (%) of the MTHFR was significantly decreased in blueberry-consumers and the antioxidant-susceptible subgroup, whose urinary MDA levels were decreased by the intervention. We also found a positive correlation between changes of urinary 8-OHdG and of DNA methylation at the MTHFR or the DNMT1 (P < 0.05). However, the genetic polymorphism of the MTHFR (C677T in exon 4) did not affect any above markers. CONCLUSIONS: Blueberry juice shows similar anti-oxidative or anti-premutagenic activity to vitamin C and the potential as a methylation inhibitor for the MTHFR and the DNMT1 in human.
Ascorbic Acid* ; Blueberry Plant* ; DNA ; DNA Methylation ; Epigenomics* ; Exons ; Female ; Humans* ; Malondialdehyde ; Methylation ; Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) ; Oxidative Stress ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polyphenols ; Vitamins*

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Evidence indicates that berry anthocyanins are anti-atherogenic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory. However, berries differ vastly in their anthocyanin composition and thus potentially in their biological and metabolic effects. The present study compared hypolipidemic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties of blueberry (BB), blackberry (BK), and blackcurrant (BC) in a diet-induced obesity (DIO) mouse model. MATERIALS/METHODS: Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a high fat (HF; 35% fat, w/w) control diet or a HF diet supplemented with freeze-dried 5% BB, 6.3% BK or 5.7% BC for 12 weeks (10 mice/group) to achieve the same total anthocyanin content in each diet. Plasma lipids, antioxidant status and pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured. The expression of genes involved in antioxidant defense, inflammation, and lipid metabolism was determined in the liver, epididymal adipose tissue, proximal intestine, and skeletal muscle. Histological analysis was performed to identify crown-like structure (CLS) in epididymal fat pads to determine macrophage infiltration. RESULTS: No differences were noted between the control and any berry-fed groups in plasma levels of liver enzymes, insulin, glucose, ferric reducing antioxidant power, superoxide dismutase, and tumor necrosis factor α. However, BK significantly lowered plasma triglyceride compared with the HF control and other berries, whereas BC significantly reduced F4/80 mRNA and the number of CLS in the epididymal fat pad, indicative of less macrophage infiltration. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides evidence that BB, BK and BC with varying anthocyanin composition differentially affect plasma lipids and adipose macrophage infiltration in DIO mice, but with no differences in their antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory potential.
Adipose Tissue ; Animals ; Anthocyanins ; Blueberry Plant* ; Cytokines ; Diet ; Fruit ; Glucose ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Insulin ; Intestines ; Lipid Metabolism ; Liver ; Macrophages ; Male ; Mice* ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Obesity* ; Plasma* ; RNA, Messenger ; Rubus* ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Triglycerides ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha