# Potential Health Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables III
###### Abstract
These findings highlight the potential of underutilized anatomical fractions of watermelon as functional ingredients with improved bioaccessibility profiles, thereby supporting sustainable valorization strategies. Further supporting the health-protective properties of fruit-derived compounds, ethanolic extracts of strawberry (_Fragaria \(\times\) ananassa_) and kiwifruit (_Actinidia delicosa_) were evaluated for their radioprotective capacity in vitro (Contribution 7). Both extracts significantly mitigated DNA damage and oxidative stress in irradiated models, correlating strongly with their high total phenolic content, antioxidant activity (as measured by DPPH and FRAP assays), and ascorbic acid levels. These effects were attributed to synergistic interactions between flavonoids, phenolic acids, and vitamin C, which collectively scavene free radicals and stabilize cellular redox balance. Together, these studies highlight the multifaceted bioactivity of fruit-derived extracts, ranging from antibacterial and anticancer mechanisms to enhanced nutrient bioavailability and radioprotection, underscoring their potential applications in the development of functional foods, dietary supplements, and adjunct therapeutic formulations. The final stage in assessing the potential health benefits of fruits and vegetables involves in vivo testing, encompassing studies on both animal models and human participants; in this Special Issue, two research articles contribute to this phase by reporting findings from in vivo experiments conducted on mice, investigating the protective effects of plant-derived extracts in two distinct models of inflammation and tissue injury. In a DSS-induced rat model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), supplementation with fermented onion notably improved intestinal health compared to fresh onion or probiotic controls (Contribution 8). Specifically, high-dose fermented onion (20 g/kg) significantly preserved colonic crypt architecture, increased goblet cell density, and augmented mucosal thickness, while also restoring short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels--particularly butyrate, acetate, and propionate--and reducing systemic IgA/IgG titers and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-\(\alpha\), IL-1\(\beta\)). These results suggest that fermentation enhances the conversion of FODMAPs and enriches bioactive compounds, such as quercetin, thereby mitigating inflammatory damage more effectively than fresh onion. In a parallel study utilizing a mouse model of particulate matter (PM\({}_{2.5}\))-induced pulmonary injury, oral administration of immature Asian pear (_Pyrus_ spp.) extract yielded dose-dependent protective effects (Contribution 9). Treatment inhibited oxidative stress markers, including decreased glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activity, while reducing lipid peroxidation (MDA) and downregulating inflammatory mediators, such as TNF-\(\alpha\), IL-6, CXCL, and CXCL. Mechanistically, the extract suppressed the activation of the NF-\(\kappa\)B, p38 MAPK, and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways and preserved the expression of the tumor suppressor PTEN, demonstrating efficacy comparable to dexamethasone in mitigating PM\({}_{2.5}\)-triggered subacute lung injury. The remaining three contributions in this collection are review articles, each offering an in-depth examination of topics related to the health-promoting properties of fruits and vegetables from nutritional, agricultural, and environmental perspectives. One review critically evaluates the benefits and limitations of a whole-foods approach to increasing dietary nitrate intake, highlighting the need to move beyond the current emphasis on betroot juice toward a more diverse and sustainable strategy involving a variety of nitrate-rich plant foods (Contribution 10). Another review examines the role of organic horticultural practices in simultaneously mitigating climate change and enhancing the nutritional quality of fruits and vegetables, with a focus on phytochemical enrichment and soil health (Contribution 11).