Protective Effect of Chokeberry Anthocyanin-rich Fraction at Nanomolar Concentrations against Oxidative Stress Induced by High Doses of Glucose in Pancreatic β-cells

Abstract

The purposes of this study was to evaluate the protective action of nanomolar concentrations of an anthocyanin rich fraction separated from chokeberry, against the oxidative stress induced by high doses of glucose (50 and 100 mM) in pancreatic β-cells. Using different concentrations of the anthocyanin fraction (from 0.2 to 3 nM), we evaluated its protective role in pancreatic mouse β-cells (TC-3), by measuring the viability, the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the levels of glutathione. Our results indicate the scavenging effect of chokeberry anthocyanins (from 0.2 to 1.5 nM), when oxidative stress was induced by high concentrations of glucose (50 and 100 mM) on the intracellular ROS species, which were quenched, according to the decrease of DCF fluorescence. Also, chokeberry anthocyanins concentrations from 0.2 to 1.0 nM, in the presence of 100 mM glucose proved to restore, proportionally to the dose, the strong decrease of glutathione (induced by high-glucose), as compared to untreated cells.