Evidence supports the health promoting benefits of berries, particularly with regard to the prevention and management of chronic diseases such cardio- and cerebrovascular disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Two related pathophysiological features common to many of these conditions are oxidative stress and the accumulation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs). Whereas antioxidant properties are well-established in several species of berries and are believed central to their protective mechanisms, few studies have investigated the effects of berries on AGE formation. Here, employing a series of complementary in vitro assays, we evaluated a collection of wild berry extracts for 1) inhibitory effects on fluorescent-AGE and Nε- (carboxymethyl)lysine-albumin adduct formation, 2) radical scavenging activity and 3) total phenolic and anthocyanin content. All samples reduced AGE formation in a concentration-dependent manner that correlated positively with each extract’s total phenolic content and, to a lesser degree, total anthocyanin content. Inhibition of AGE formation was similarly related to radical scavenging activities. Adding antiglycation activity to the list of established functional properties ascribed to berries and their phenolic metabolites, our data provide further insight into the active compounds and protective mechanisms through which berry consumption may aid in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases associated with AGE accumulation and toxicity. As widely available, safe and nutritious foods, berries represent a promising dietary intervention worthy of further investigation.

Cannabis producers, retailers, and law enforcement increasingly need low-cost point-of-source cannabinoid sensors. Organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) based sensors are a promising technology that can provide rapid speciation and detection of Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) while maintaining low manufacturing costs and ease of use. Herein, chloro aluminum phthalocyanine (Cl-AlPc) OTFTs were optimized through engineering film thickness (30, 50 or 100 nm) and the device source-drain geometry (W/L = 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1000), as these parameters have been shown to strongly influence OTFT performance. Optimized Cl-AlPc OTFT based sensors were exposed to both THC solution and THC vapor, demonstrating that improved device performance was not directly correlated with increased sensitivity. Grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to interrogate thin-film morphology. While little change in molecular orientation resulted from film thickness or exposure to THC, the data suggests that the improved sensing response of Cl-AlPc-derived devices is directly related to increased thin-film surface area resulting from increased roughness and reduced film thickness.