PARTNERSHIP: Elucidating Gut Microbiota-dependent Health Impacts of Haskap Berries to Inform Agricultural Production Practices That Will Maximize Bioactive Potential
Phase: NA
Conditions: Metabolic Disease, Inflammation, Microbial Colonization
Sponsor: Montana State University

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Impact of the Gut Microbiome on Health Impacts of Haskap Berries 
Dr. Mary Miles 
NCT #: 20224-1417-FCR 
November 5, 2024 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Study Protocol: 
Polyphenol-rich Haskap berries (Haskap) have untapped therapeutic potential to improve human 
health, and agricultural producers in northern U.S. states are poised to increase production if 
consumer demand increases. This is important because inflammation and abnormal metabolism 
play a major role in the development and progression of many diseases including type 2 diabetes, 
cardiovascular disease and cancer. Therefore, identifying foods with bioactive components that 
decrease inflammation and improve metabolism is an important strategy for reducing disease 
burden. Berries high in polyphenols promote human health through a variety of mechanisms, 
including inflammation lowering, that may be dependent on interactions with the gut microbiota. 
We identified gut microbiota dependent anti-inflammatory polyphenol breakdown products from 
polyphenol rich berry juice in the blood of germ-free mice humanized with fecal microbial 
transplants from humans. Some of these bioactive polyphenol molecules were measured in mice 
with a gut microbiota from a human donor with low but not high inflammation levels, suggesting 
that the microbial digestion of polyphenols may contribute, at least in part, to the difference in 
inflammation between the human donors. Haskap (Lonicera caerulea L.) are rich in anthocyanins 
and other polyphenolic compounds. The long-term goal of this project is to form a partnership 
linking the health impacts of Haskap with varieties and management practices to maximize 
health-promoting compounds to benefit both consumers and producers. A critical knowledge gap 
is that little is known about the interactions between gut microbes and Haskap polyphenols to 
produce bioactive metabolites linked to downstream health impacts. Additionally, we need to 
know which Haskap varieties and harvest timing will yield the greatest bioactive potential. 
Aim 1: Determine the impact of Haskap on the gut microbiome and metabolome in a cohort of 
adults with both low and high risk of metabolic syndrome. 
Aim 2: Determine how gut microbiome composition and production of bioactive metabolites 
from Haskap impacts serum metabolite, health, and inflammation biomarkers in a cohort of 
adults with both low and high risk of metabolic syndrome. This analysis will identify the impact 
of individual differences in gut microbiome composition on the response to Haskap 
consumption.  
Aim 3: Identify Haskap varieties and growing practices that increase production of health-
promoting compounds. Previous research has demonstrated the concentration of general and 
specific polyphenols and in vivo anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic activity in Haskap differ 
widely among varieties and harvest timing (fruit maturity). MSU-Western Ag Research Center 
will determine the effects of harvest timing on concentration and yield of health-promoting 
compounds in over twenty varieties of Haskap.