Cancer remains a leading cause of illness and death, highlighting the urgent need for safe, scalable, and affordable dietary prevention strategies. Phytochemicals in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, teas, and herbs interact with the gut microbiota through fermentation, biotransformation, and changes in microbial composition and activity. This review examines phytochemicals such as polyphenols, dietary fibers, glucosinolates, carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids, and other metabolites, focusing on how their interactions with the gut microbiota as a dynamic, diet-responsive ecosystem may impact inflammation, immunity, genomic stability, metabolic reprogramming, angiogenesis, and cancer-related outcomes. Direct effects on host cells are distinguished from microbial conversion of dietary substrates and experimentally supported microbiome-dependent mechanisms. Particular attention is given to short-chain fatty acids and urolithins, as well as potentially harmful microbial products such as certain secondary bile acids and N-nitroso compounds, recognizing that their effects depend on exposure and biological context. Mechanistic and animal studies support selected pathways, whereas human interventions mainly demonstrate changes in microbial communities, metabolites, and host biomarkers rather than established microbiome-mediated cancer prevention. Challenges involving individual microbiome variability, food-matrix interactions, bioavailability, delivery-system stability, and safety are discussed. Plant-based dietary strategies therefore offer promising research opportunities, but their preventive applications require further validation through well-designed human studies with clinically relevant outcomes.
Although refrigeration slows lamb meat deterioration, the effectiveness of seed mucilage coatings containing strain-specific extracellular metabolites remains insufficiently characterized. In this study, cell-free supernatant (CFS) from Lactobacillus acidophilus LLA-01 served as the postbiotic preparation in a Lallemantia royleana seed mucilage (LRSM) coating. Lamb meat samples were assigned to four treatments: uncoated control, LRSM, LRSM + 1% CFS, and LRSM + 2% CFS, and stored at 4 ± 1°C for 10 days. Microbial populations, pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), moisture content, hardness, lipid oxidation, instrumental color, and sensory quality were evaluated on days 1, 4, 7, and 10. LRSM alone provided modest protection, whereas incorporation of CFS markedly delayed quality deterioration. On day 10, meat treated with LRSM + 2% CFS had a total viable count (TVC) of 6.40 log CFU/g and a TVB-N value of 17.5 mg N/100 g; the corresponding control values were 9.15 log CFU/g and 31.0 mg N/100 g. Relative to the control, this coating reduced peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) by 56.3% and 48.0%, respectively. It also better retained moisture, hardness, and surface redness. Overall acceptability was 5.30 with LRSM + 2% CFS versus 3.40 in the control, supporting this coating’s potential to delay refrigerated lamb deterioration. MATLAB R2021b regression models evaluated 12 quality parameters, with cubic polynomial models closely fitting fungal count, pH, moisture, hardness, and overall acceptability (R² = 0.99364–0.99892; mean absolute percentage error [MAPE] = 0.092762–0.71384%). In contrast, color difference showed the lowest accuracy (R² = 0.82933; MAPE = 18.015%), highlighting the variable-specific suitability of regression models.
The modern transition toward ultra-processed, nutrient-poor diets has fueled ''hidden hunger'', a state of micronutrient deficiency amidst caloric excess; that drives the systemic oxidative stress and immune dysregulation predisposing populations to rheumatoid arthritis. While the genus Quercus has historical alimentary roots, the anti-arthritic potential of the Himalayan Oak ( Quercus floribunda ) in managing chronic joint inflammation remains largely uncharacterized. This study evaluated the anti-arthritic efficacy of Q. floribunda kernels and aerial part extracts, alongside isolated pentacyclic triterpenoids, friedelin and glutinol, using a CFA-induced arthritis model in BALB/c mice. Therapeutic intervention spanned from day 14 to 35, employing a multidimensional assessment of behavioral phenotyping, systemic inflammatory profiling, and redox homeostasis. High-resolution analysis revealed that Q. floribunda extracts significantly attenuated arthritic progression, outperforming isolated compounds under the doses and routes used. The extracts significantly reduced DNA damage and preserved joint histoarchitecture, with reduced immunohistochemical expression of pro-inflammatory and apoptotic markers (NF-κB, TNF-α, CASP3) and increased expression of Nrf2. Behavioral, radiological and histopathological data showed that the extracts produced greater structural and functional improvement than the isolated compounds, although the contribution of individual constituents was not determined. To our knowledge, this is the first comparison of whole Q. floribunda extracts with isolated friedelin and glutinol over a 35-day arthritis course with post-sacrifice tissue-level endpoints. These findings provide preclinical evidence supporting further pharmacological investigation of the extracts.
