Gene expression patterns in liver and cytogenetic analysis of male germ cells of mice (Mus musculus L.) treated with aqueous freeze-dried fruits from three Philippine indigenous berries

The indigenous berries of the Philippines, bignay and lipote, are traditionally believed to provide various health benefits. Despite their potential, these fruits have been relatively undervalued compared to other more popular fruits. This study investigated gene expression patterns in the liver of ICR Mice, M. musculus L. treated with aqueous freeze-dried fruits from Philippine indigenous berries Antidesma bunius (L.) Spreng. 'Common' or bignay-common, A. bunius (L.) Spreng. 'Kalabaw' or bignay-kalabaw and Syzygium polycephaloides (C.B. Rob.) Merr or lipote, and to determine if the regular consumption of these berries can cause cytogenetic abnormalities, through evaluation of meiotic index and analyzing meiotic behavior for abnormalities during Meiosis I in mice testes. Differential Gene Expression analysis by NOISeq and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis revealed distinct patterns of gene expression modulation across all treatments. Bignay-common aqueous freeze-dried fruits were found to enrich gene sets related to metabolic reprogramming and enhanced cellular stress response, while bignay-kalabaw aqueous freeze-dried fruits potentially caused enrichment in pathways related to immune response and adipose tissue metabolism. Lipote aqueous freeze-dried fruits displayed notable response, with indications of both cell survival promotion and potential inhibition of tumor proliferation and metabolic dysregulation. For cytogenetic analysis, the results indicated normal meiotic behavior across all treatment groups with average meiotic index of 68.58%. Metaphase I, anaphase I and telophase I were all normal. Cells at diakinesis were rare but all those found showed normal 20II. Except for the subtle chromosomal abnormalities observed during pachytene, there were no structural or chromosomal aberrations encountered. The absence of significant cytogenetic abnormalities suggests the safety of consumption of bignay and lipote berries. The observed chromosomal abnormalities were minimal and likely unrelated to berry treatment. On the basis of global gene analysis and cytogenetic study conducted, it can be said that the berries under study are non-toxic and safe for consumption. Results on gene enrichment analysis highlighted potential beneficial effects to health.