Abstract
Anthocyanins are biologically active water-soluble plant pigments that are responsible for blue, purple, and red colors in various plant parts—especially in fruits and blooms. Anthocyanins have attracted attention as natural food colorants to be used in yogurts, juices, marmalades, and bakery products. Numerous studies have also indicated the beneficial health effects of anthocyanins and their metabolites on human or animal organisms, including free-radical scavenging and antioxidant activity. Thus, our aim was to review the current knowledge about anthocyanin occurrence in plants, their stability during processing, and also the bioavailability and protective effects related to the antioxidant activity of anthocyanins in human and animal brains, hearts, livers, and kidneys.
Highlights
Anthocyanins are pigments belonging to the flavonoid group, which is widely distributed in plants.They are responsible for blue, purple, and red colors in flowers, fruits, and vegetables and protect plants from environmental stresses such as high sunlight irradiance [1] or low nitrogen [2]
Since it is known that bilberries and blackcurrant berries are rich in anthocyanins, Brader et al [85]
Positive findings have been reported by another study [100]. It showed that the administration of Malva sylvestris L. extract (200 or 400 mg/kg) rich in anthocyanins reduced the renal toxicity induced by gentamicin and led to (i) an improvement in kidney function, (ii) a decrease in the expression levels of pro-inflammatory markers (TNF-α), (iii) a reduction in oxidative stress, and (iv) a decrease in tissue injuries
Summary
Anthocyanins are pigments belonging to the flavonoid group, which is widely distributed in plants. They are responsible for blue, purple, and red colors in flowers, fruits, and vegetables and protect plants from environmental stresses such as high sunlight irradiance [1] or low nitrogen [2]. Azevedo et al [6] established that the radical scavenging activity and reducing properties of anthocyanins strongly depend on the chemical structures of particular anthocyanins; this effect increases with the presence of catechol and pyrogallol groups in ring B of cyanidin-3-glucosides and the respective aglycones. It can be assumed that for effective therapeutic action of anthocyanins, both the ROS scavenging activity and the modulation of cellular antioxidant systems are required [14]. We review the current knowledge about anthocyanin occurrence in plants, their stability during processing, and the health benefits to humans and animals
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