Cranberry Research Progress: A Systematic Review of Chemical Composition, Pharmacological Mechanisms, Clinical Applications, and Nutritional Significance

Abstract

Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) is an herbaceous, evergreen, dwarf shrub of the genus Vaccinium in the family Ericaceae, often used as a functional food. Cranberries are primarily distributed in the northern United States—including Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Maine—as well as in Quebec, Canada; the state of Columbia; Chile in South America; and northeastern Europe. They are also found in China’s Greater Khingan Range and Fuyuan City, Jiamusi, Heilongjiang Province. The plants thrive in cool environments and exhibit considerable adaptability to soil conditions, preferring acidic soils. Cranberries are rich in a variety of biologically active components, such as polyphenols (proanthocyanidins, chlorogenic acid, flavonols, anthocyanins, caffeic acid, etc.), triterpenoids, and other nutrients. Studies have shown that the chemical components extracted from cranberry fruit have pharmacological effects such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and urinary tract infection prevention and treatment, and are commonly used clinically in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, the prevention of urinary tract infections, blood pressure lowering, and the fight against Helicobacter pylori, among other clinical diseases. Cranberries also play a huge role in daily nutrition, and they are named for their richness in a variety of mineral elements, trace elements and vitamins. This work uses information from Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus, CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), and related papers. In this paper, a comprehensive review of the phytochemical composition, pharmacological mechanism of action, clinical application value and nutritional significance of cranberry was conducted in recent years to provide references for the further extraction of chemical components in cranberry and rational clinical application, which can help to guide people to rationalize their diets and promote the formation of healthy diets.