Title: Metabolic Effects of Consumption of Quercetin, Ellagic Acid, Cherry, and Apple Phytochemical Extracts in High-Fat Fed Mice.

Metabolic improvements and changes in gene expression were measured in mice fed polyphenol-rich extracts derived from apples and sweet cherries, and the common phytochemicals, quercetin and ellagic acid. Polyphenol-rich extracts were produced by solid phase extraction and column chromatography. Extracts and purified compounds were mixed into a high-fat (HF, 60 % of total kcal) obesigenic rodent diet and fed to C57BL/6J mice along with low-fat (LF, 10 % of total kcal) and HF+treatment (HF+X) diets. Mice fed the HF control diet became obese and lost normal glucose control. Although no changes in weight gain or diet consumption were seen among the mice fed the high-fat diets, mice fed HF+X diets containing extracts and purified compounds exhibited improved metabolic parameters compared to mice fed the HF control diet. For example, six-hour fasted blood glucose levels measured at week six in mice fed HF+X diets, or HF diet supplemented with apple (HF+AE) or cherry extract (HF+CE), quercetin (HF+QUE), or ellagic acid (HF+EA), showed lower baseline blood glucose levels when compared wit