COLONIC INFLAMMATION AND CARCINOGENESIS ARE SIGNIFICANT HEALTH THREATS TO AMERICANS. ACCUMULATING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT BOTH OF THE DISEASES MAY BE PREVENTED BY INCREASED CONSUMPTION OF CERTAIN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES SUCH AS BERRIES. THE MOST STUDIED HEALTH EFFECT OF CRANBERRY HAS BEEN THE INHIBITION OF URINARY TRACT INFECTION. HOWEVER, THE POTENTIAL OF CRANBERRY AND ITS COMPONENTS IN INHIBITING COLONIC INFLAMMATION AND CARCINOGENESIS HAS NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY INVESTIGATED AND THEREFORE IS LARGELY UNKNOWN. THE GOALOF THIS PROJECT IS TO ESTABLISH THE EFFICACY OF CRANBERRY AND ITS KEY BIOACTIVE COMPONENTS IN INHIBITING COLONIC INFLAMMATION AND CARCINOGENESIS, AND ELUCIDATE THE MOLECULAR MECHANISM UNDERLYING THESE PROTECTIVE EFFECTS.THE FINDINGS FROM THIS PROJECT WILL HELP GAIN NEW KNOWLEDGE ON HOW WHOLE FOOD SUCH AS BERRIES PROMOTE COLON HEALTH, AND HOW THE BIOACTIVE COMPONENTS OF THE BERRIES FIGHT AGAINST COLONIC INFLAMMATION AND COLON CARCINOGENESIS. THIS KNOWLEDGE WILL SERVE AS AN INDISPENSABLE BASIS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE WHOLE FOOD-BASED STRATEGIES FOR PROMOTING COLON HEALTH, WHICH CAN BE VALIDATED BY FUTURE HUMAN TRIALS. THE APPROACH USED IN THIS STUDY CAN ALSO BE APPLIED TO STUDIES ON OTHER RELATED FOOD COMPONENTS.