Cyanidin-3-glucoside Research Articles

Interference of anthocyanin extracted from black soybean coats on aflatoxin B1-human serum albumin in the binding process

ABSTRACT The effect of the anthocyanin cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) and its main gastrointestinal metabolites (PCA and PGA) on the binding of AFB1 and HSA were studied via spectrometry. C3G is relatively stable in the gastric environment, and the intestinal environment promotes its metabolism into PCA and PGA. Binary fluorescence experiments showed that both AFB1 and C3G, including PCA and PGA, can react with HSA. AFB1, C3G and PCA can bind at site I and site II of HSA; PGA binds at site II. The presence of C3G/PCA/PGA inhibits the degree of quenching. C3G/PCA does not change the quenching mechanism; it is still static quenching; however, dynamic quenching occurs in the (AFB1-HSA)-PGA system. In addition, the apparent binding constant and number of binding sites of AFB1-HSA also diminish to different degrees. C3G and its metabolites (PCA and PGA) interfere with the interaction between AFB1 and HSA, and can reduce AFB1 transport at pH 7.4 in vitro. Abbreviations: C3G: cyanidin-3-O-glucoside; M: metabolite; PCA: protocatechuic acid; PGA: phloroglucinol aldehyde; AFB1: aflatoxin B1; HSA: human serum albumin.

Development of an Accelerated Stability Model to Estimate Purple Corn Cob Extract Powder (Moradyn) Shelf-Life.

Moradyn is an Italian purple corn variety whose cobs represent a rich source of polyphenols. At the industrial level, they are used to produce a dried extract (MCE) by the addition of 20% Arabic gum. In order to evaluate the extract solid-state stability, an innovative accelerated stress protocol was developed following the isoconversion approach. The degradation kinetics of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), the most suitable marker to monitor the overall MCE degradation status, was monitored under five temperature–humidity (RH) combinations. These data were used to build a mathematical model, able to estimate the C3G stability at 25 °C and 30% RH, whose predictiveness was further assessed by comparing the predicted vs. experimental C3G isoconversion time. Finally, by applying this model, the expiry date of the extract was calculated to be within 26–33 days, confirming that the addition of 20% Arabic gum is insufficient to stabilize MCE and highlighting the need of a new formula in order to prolong MCE shelf-life.

The Digestibility of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. Polyphenols Using an In Vitro Human Digestion Model and Evaluation of Their Antimicrobial Activity.

Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (H.s.) is a polyphenolic-rich plant commonly consumed either as a beverage or spice. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro digestibility of H.s. polyphenols using an in vitro model of digestion which simulates the human stomach and small intestine. The bioaccessible polyphenols released in the digested samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array and mass spectrometry detection. H.s. anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside and delphinidin-3-O-sambubioside) content drastically dropped during the digestion process from 2.91 ± 0.03 µg g−1 and 8.53 ± 0.08 µg g−1 (w/w) CG (Cyanidin-glucoside) in the raw extract, respectively, to 0.12 ± 0.01 µg g−1 0.12 ± 0.01 µg g−1 (w/w) CG at the end of duodenal digestion. Total polyphenols also have shown a decrease from 1192.65 ± 30.37 µg g−1 (w/w) in the raw extract to 282.24 ± 7.21 µg g−1 (w/w) by the end of gastric digestion, in contrast to their increase by the end of duodenal digestion 372.91 ± 3.97 µg g−1 (w/w). On the other hand, the decrease in certain compounds (e.g., caffeoylquinicandcoumaroylquinic acids) was observed during gastric digestion resulting in an increase of quinic acid in the duodenal aliquots, thus suggesting that this compound was derived from the degradation of the more complex hydroxycinnamic acids. H.s. extract also exhibited a bacteriostatic effect against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 (MIC of 2.5 mg mL−1) and a bactericidal effect against a food isolate of Listeria monocytogenes (MBC of 2.5 mg mL−1). The undigested polyphenols of H.s. in the upper gastrointestinal tract enters the colon, where they are metabolized by the gut microbiota. The present study results showed that resistance of H.s. polyphenols during gastrointestinal digestion might affect their uptake, resulting in a decrease in their digestibility.

Abstract 1779: Dietary supplementation of haskap berry anthocyanin and probiotics attenuate the severity of DSS-induced acute colitis in Balb/c mice

Abstract Introduction: Colitis-associated colorectal cancer is a specific type of colorectal cancer that develops from long-standing chronic inflammatory conditions in colorectal epithelium. Genotoxic compounds produced by inflammatory cells can damage DNA and thereby can initiate malignant transformation. Haskap (Lonicera caerulea L.) berry, is a rich source of dietary anthocyanins, specifically cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G). C3G has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. This study aimed at investigating the oral supplementation of free- or microencapsulated-haskap anthocyanin (310 mg/kg of body weight/mouse) alone or with probiotics (1×109 CFU/day) on the severity reduction of dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)- induced acute colitis in Balb/c mice. Methodology: The study was carried out in two main phases: 1) optimization of microencapsulation of haskap anthocyanin using novel coating materials; and 2) Investigating the combined effect of anthocyanin and probiotics on DSS-induced acute colitis in vivo. Maltodextrin and inulin (3:1 w/w) were used as coating materials and four different core to shell ratios (1:1, 1:1.5, 1:2 and 1:3) were tested. The best ratio (1:1.5) was selected based on the physical characteristics, encapsulation yield, efficiency, recovery, and anthocyanin retention in the particles and was then used in DSS induced acute colitis model. Thirty-five Balb/C male mice of seven weeks old were divided into seven dietary supplementation groups (n=5) to receive either free anthocyanin, microencapsulated anthocyanin, or probiotics alone or as combinations of anthocyanin and probiotics. The colonic inflammation of mice was induced by oral administration of DSS at 3% for 7 days. Attenuation of acute colitis was investigated through clinical data, western blot, histopathology, and ELISA. Results: None of the dietary supplements showed hepatotoxicity in experimental mice hence the tested amounts were in safe limits. Compared with the DSS alone group, anthocyanin + probiotics supplemented group significantly inhibited the severity of colitis as measured by colon shortening, and disease activity index score. All the supplementary diets reduced the expression of occludin but had no effect on claudin-3 and claudin-4 expressions. Histological assessments, measures of inflammatory mediators and characterization of the gut microbiome will be presented. Conclusions: Dietary supplementation of haskap berry anthocyanin + probiotics protects against DSS-induced colitis possibly through attenuating the epithelial inflammation. Citation Format: K.V. Surangi Dharmawansa, Andrew Stadnyk, H.P. Vasantha Rupasinghe. Dietary supplementation of haskap berry anthocyanin and probiotics attenuate the severity of DSS-induced acute colitis in Balb/c mice [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 1779.

매크로 다공성 흡착 수지를 이용하여 정제된 오디 안토시아닌의 지방세포 분화 억제 효과

Background: The present study investigated the inhibitory effect of purified mulberry anthocyanin using PB-600 macroporous resin (RPA) in a 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation model and a process for the industrial preparation of mulberry anthocyanins as a natural food and medicine materials.<BR>Methods and Results: Compared with the experimental purification using C18 Sep-Pak cartridges, RPA could yield a significantly higher amount of anthocyanins by an increased loading amount, the amount of purified anthocyanin, and cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) purified specifically, decreasing impurities containing cyanidin-3-rutinoside (C3R) in mulberry extract. To investigate the effect of RPA on cytotoxicity and adipogenesis in vitro, differentiating 3T3-L1 cells in adipocyte-induction media were treated with RPA at various concentrations (50 to 2,000 ㎍/㎖). We found that RPA inhibited 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation without affecting cell viability, while RPA (1,000 ㎍/㎖) treatment reduced the lipid accumulation inhibition rate to 46.44 ± 2.63%. Additionally, the triglyceride content of RPA (1,000 ㎍/㎖)-treated 3T3-L1 adipocytes decreased to 59.32 ± 1.36% compared to the control (100%). Measuring the anti-obesity effect and gene expression related to lipid metabolism through real-time PCR and experiments were performed at a concentration of less than 1,000 ㎍/㎖. RPA containing anthocyanin and non-anthocyanin fravonoid affects the gene expression of mRNA (SREBP-1c, PPAR, C/EBPα, FAS, and ACC). RPA containing both anthocyanin (C3G and C3R) and non-anthocyanin flavonoid decreased to a higher level than C3G alone in the gene expression of lipid metabolism-related genes, indicating that the lipid metabolism-related genes were significantly reduced.<BR>Conclusions: The macroporus PB-600 resin was used to separate anthocyanin in the extract of mulberry, confirming it as an efficient potential method for the industrial production of mulberry anthocyanins. These results suggest that RPA could have a beneficial effect on the inhibition of adipogenesis, and that it may be used as effective anti-obesity agents.

Total Anthocyanin Content, Total Phenolic Content, and Antioxidant Activity of Various Blueberry Cultivars Grown in Togane, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

More than fifty cultivated varieties of blueberries are grown under the same processing conditions on the farm at Chiba Prefectural Agricultural College in Japan. The fruits from 51 blueberry cultivars, including 16 rabbiteye (RE) cultivars (Vaccinium ashei Reade) and 35 highbush (HB) cultivars (Vaccinium corybosum L.), were evaluated for total anthocyanin contents, phenolic contents, and their contribution to antioxidant activity among cultivars. Total anthocyanin contents varied from 0.74±0.21 ("Barkley") to 4.27±0.18 ("Suwannee") mg as cyanidin-3-glucoside (Cy-3-GC) equivalent/g fresh-weight (fw), with phenolic contents in the range of 0.77±0.14 ("Floridablue") to 3.69±0.89 ("Suwannee") mg of gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g fw, which strongly correlated with antioxidant activities assessed using the DPPH and ORAC methods, respectively. Total anthocyanin and phenolic contents were both significantly higher (p<0.05) in RE blueberries than in HB blueberries. Furthermore, the total phenolic values were significantly higher for the RE family than for the HB family (p<0.01). In comparisons of two species, the major anthocyanidin identified were malvidin in RE blueberries and delphinidin in HB blueberries. This result suggests that some RE blueberries, especially "Suwannee," "Homebell" and "Climax," are suitable supply sources with high in vitro antioxidant capacity. This study would be helpful to the quality-oriented cultivation of blueberry.

Effect of thermosonication treatment on blueberry juice quality: Total phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanin, and antioxidant activity

To investigated the effects of thermosonication (TS) on blueberry juice quality. The raw juice (RJ), pasteurized juice (60 °C, 30 min, PJ), and TS treated juice (20 kHz, 200 W, 400 W, and 600 W at 60 °C for 15 min, TJ) were analysed for colour characteristics, total antioxidant contents, antioxidant capacity, and composition of anthocyanins. Results showed that TS treated juice had higher colour density (CD), L*, and ΔE values and lower values of chroma (C), hue angle (h), yellow index (YI). The content of total phenolics, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, were increased by 139.32%, 251.72%, and 94.12%, respectively, in TJ600 sample compared to the RJ samples. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radical (▪OH) scavenging capacity were increased to 65.22%, 51.13%, significantly higher than PJ sample. The content of delphinidin-3-O-glucoside (Dp-G) and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (Cy-G), were 54.40 mg/L, 28.75 mg/L in juice. Correlation analysis indicated that the antioxidant contents play an important role in CD, and Cy-G determines the brightness or darkness of the juice. Collectively, the findings suggested that TS could be a feasible alternative to pasteurization for improving the quality and antioxidant activity of blueberry juice.

Anthocyanins from purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulia Sims) rind-An innovative source for nonbleachable pigment production.

Passion fruit rind is a waste product from the beverage industry that is rich in anthocyanins that can be potentially applied as a natural colorant. However, the inherent instability of anthocyanins causes rapid discoloration. In this study, the cyanidin-3-glucoside (C-3-G) in passion fruit rind was extracted using 50% ethanol and converted into nonbleachable pigments by reaction with Oolong tea extracts and acetaldehyde. Reactions over 70 days formed high concentrations of stable nonbleachable pigments (3.07-6.68 absorbance unit [A.U.], in total) such as pyranoanthocyanins, as well as oligomeric and polymeric pigments with ethyl-linked bridges. In C-3-G and acetaldehyde reaction, positive relations were found among acetaldehyde concentration, color density, and nonbleachable pigment concentrations. As for reactions with C-3-G and Oolong tea extract combined with acetaldehyde, greater color density and greater concentrations of nonbleachable pigments (10.80-12.34, 4.25-4.40 A.U., respectively) were formed compared with acetaldehyde alone. In addition, the antioxidant capabilities of the extracts were enhanced after reaction with Oolong tea extracts. The results of this study show a useful method to enhance the stability of anthocyanins from passion fruit rind and also provide greater economic value to this waste product. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Ripened passion fruits contain a high concentration of anthocyanins in their rind. These anthocyanins can be optimally extracted by ultrasonic assisted solvent extraction to provide stable pigments by inducing acetaldehyde (a volatile compound often found in foods and beverages) into the anthocyanins. These stable pigments have a greater reddish hue in solution than the anthocyanin extracted from the rind and are more stable over a greater pH range. In addition, these stable pigments can be potentially used as colorant throughout the food and cosmetic industry to provide high economical values.

Effect of Freeze Drying and Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion on Phenolic Metabolites and Antioxidant Property of the Natal Plum (Carissa macrocarpa).

Natal plums (Carissa macrocarpa) are a natural source of bioactive compounds, particularly anthocyanins, and can be consumed as a snack. This study characterized the impact of freeze drying and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the phenolic profile, antioxidant capacity, and α-glucosidase activity of the Natal plum (Carissa macrocarpa). The phenolic compounds were quantified using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a diode-array detector HPLC-DAD and an ultra-performance liquid chromatograph (UPLC) with a Waters Acquity photodiode array detector (PDA) coupled to a Synapt G2 quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometer. Cyanidin-3-O-β-sambubioside (Cy-3-Sa) and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (Cy-3-G) were the dominant anthocyanins in the fresh and freeze-dried Natal plum powder. Freeze drying did not affect the concentrations of both cyanidin compounds compared to the fresh fruit. Both cyanidin compounds, ellagic acid, catechin, epicatechin syringic acid, caffeic acid, luteolin, and quercetin O-glycoside from the ingested freeze-dried Natal plum powder was quite stable in the gastric phase compared to the small intestinal phase. Cyanidin-3-O-β-sambubioside from the ingested Natal plum powder showed bioaccessibility of 32.2% compared to cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (16.3%). The degradation of anthocyanins increased the bioaccessibility of gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, coumaric acid, and ferulic acid significantly, in the small intestinal digesta. The ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) activities, and inhibitory effect of α-glucosidase activity decreased in the small intestinal phase. Indigenous fruits or freeze-dried powders with Cy-3-Sa can be a better source of anthocyanin than Cy-3-G due to higher bioaccessibility in the small intestinal phase.

Dietary Fiber Modulates the Fermentation Patterns of Cyanidin-3-O-Glucoside in a Fiber-Type Dependent Manner.

The interactions between cell-wall polysaccharides and polyphenols in the gastrointestinal tract have attracted extensive attention. We hypothesized that dietary fiber modulates the fermentation patterns of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) in a fiber-type-dependent manner. In the present study, the effects of four dietary fibers (fructose-oligosaccharides, pectin, β-glucan and arabinoxylan) on the modulation of C3G fermentation patterns were investigated through in vitro fermentation inoculated with human feces. The changes in gas volume, pH, total carbohydrate content, metabolites of C3G, antioxidant activity, and microbial community distribution during in vitro fermentation were analyzed. After 24 h of fermentation, the gas volume and total carbohydrate contents of the four dietary-fiber-supplemented groups respectively increased and decreased to varying degrees. The results showed that the C3G metabolites after in vitro fermentation mainly included cyanidin, protocatechuic acid, 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzoic acid, and 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzaldehyde. Supplementation of dietary fibers changed the proportions of C3G metabolites depending on the structures. Dietary fibers increased the production of short-chain fatty acids and the relative abundance of gut microbiota Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, thus potentially maintaining colonic health to a certain extent. In conclusion, the used dietary fibers modulate the fermentation patterns of C3G in a fiber-type-dependent manner.

Complexation of rice glutelin fibrils with cyanidin-3-O-glucoside at acidic condition: Thermal stability, binding mechanism and structural characterization

The complexation of rice glutelin fibrils (RGFs) with cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) at acidic condition was investigated. The RGFs at pH 3.5 had a greatest protective effect on the thermal stability of C3G. The binding of C3G for RGFs was exothermic and driven by hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. The RGFs exhibited a stronger binding interaction with C3G than rice glutelin (RG), resulting from the exposure of hydrophobic groups and positive charges on the fibrils surface, and thus RGFs exhibited better protective effect on C3G. The interaction with C3G resulted in the rearrangement of polypeptide chain, thereby reducing the β-sheet content. The larger aggregates were observed in RG/RGFs-C3G complexes due to protein-polyphenols aggregation. It was noteworthy that the pre-formed RGFs were restructured into entangled aggregates due to the interaction. This study proposed a novel protein fibril to protect anthocyanins, expanding the application of anthocyanins as stable and functional ingredients in acidic food systems.

Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Phytochemicals and Related Stable Paramagnetic Species in Different Parts of Dragon Fruit.

In this study, we investigated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals and paramagnetic species in dragon fruit using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). HPLC analysis demonstrated that dragon fruit is enriched with bioactive phytochemicals, with significant variations between each part of the fruit. Anthocyanins namely, cyanidin 3-glucoside, delphinidin 3-glucoside, and pelargonidin 3-glucoside were detected in the dragon fruit peel and fresh red pulp. Epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin, caffeine, and gallic acid were found in the dragon fruit seed. Additionally, 25–100 mg × L−1 of dragon fruit pulp and peel extracts containing enrichment of cyanidin 3-glucoside were found to inhibit the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in cell-based studies without exerted cytotoxicity. EPR primarily detected two paramagnetic species in the red samples. These two different radical species were assigned as stable radicals and Mn2+ (paramagnetic species) based on the g-values and hyperfine components. In addition, the broad EPR line width of the white peel can be correlated to a unique moiety in dragon fruit. Our EPR and HPLC results provide new insight regarding the phytochemicals and related stable intermediates found in various parts of dragon fruit. Thus, we suggest here that there is the potential to use dragon fruit peel, which contains anthocyanins, as a natural active pharmaceutical ingredient.

Combination of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and cisplatin induces oxidative stress and apoptosis in HeLa cells by reducing activity of endogenous antioxidants, increasing bax/bcl-2 mRNA expression ratio, and downregulating Nrf2 expression.

Investigation on potentiation of existing drugs with natural compounds to enhance efficacy and reduce toxic effect of the drugs has been increasing in recent years. This paper reports cytotoxic effect (apoptosis-related and oxidative stress-related effect) of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), cisplatin (DDP), and their combination (C3G-DDP) on cervical cancer HeLa cells. Concentration of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was determined by employing fluorescent marker 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. On the other hand, malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) concentration, and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were quantitated by commercially available assay kits. C3G-DDP significantly inhibited the activity of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px. Simultaneously, C3G-DDP reduced GSH concentration while increased the concentration of ROS and MDA. Moreover, Western blot analysis suggested that C3G-DDP significantly reduced the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) and Nrf2 target proteins: heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1). In contrast, C3G-DDP increased the expression of Keap1. Furthermore, C3G-DDP significantly upregulated and downregulated the mRNA expressions of bax and bcl-2, respectively, thereby increasing bax/bcl-2 mRNA expression ratio. Overall, our findings propose that potentiation of DDP with C3G improves cancer cell susceptibility, specifically cervical cancer cells, to DDP. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Cisplatin is recommended by most medical oncologists worldwide to treat cancer. Despite its neoplastic efficacy, it has undesirable side effects including nausea, vomiting, nephrotoxicity, and hepatotoxicity. Natural biologically active food ingredients are suggested to be used as antioxidants along with DDP therapy to prevent cisplatin-induced toxicity. C3G-DDP protected HeLa cells from oxidative stress by reducing NQO1 and HO-1 levels and regulated the Nrf2 signaling pathway. In addition, C3G-DDP protected HeLa cells from oxidative stress-induced apoptosis by increasing bcl-2 levels and decreasing bax levels. These results expanded our understanding of the role of C3G in a cervical cancer cell model, and provided a potential new treatment strategy for this cancer, as well as a theoretical basis for the development of new drugs in the future.

Molecular Interactions of Cyanidin-3-glucoside with Bacterial Proteins Modulate the Virulence of Selected Pathogens in Caenorhabditis elegans

Anthocyanins are plant pigments known for their radical scavenging activity. However, the current understanding of the effects of anthocyanins in bacterial infection is limited to crude extracts. Additionally, most studies about cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G), an anthocyanin compound from the cyanidin class, were limited to in vitro experiments. This paper investigated the protective mechanism of C3G against selected pathogens, namely Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), and Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis) using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as the infection model. The nematodes were supplemented with varying sublethal concentrations of C3G every day after hatching. Besides, the concentrations of C3G used exhibit no bacterial growth suppression against the pathogens. The nematodes transferred to different plates were flooded with varying bacteria. The number of surviving worms were counted every day until all worms were deceased. To hypothesize the protective mechanism of C3G, its 3D structure was docked in the crystal structures of the different proteins produced by each pathogen. These protein molecules represent their virulence factors, which are available in the Protein Data Bank. The docked crystal structures were evaluated for their binding energies and binding interactions. Results show that C3G rescues C. elegans against S. aureus but not from E. faecalis, despite both are gram-positive. This observation is similar to the gram-negative pathogens where C. elegans were protected from P. mirabilis treatment but not against K. pneumoniae. Consistently, the docked crystal structures of C3G reveal to have a high binding affinity with amidohydrolase and exfoliative toxin A, which are virulence factors of P. mirabilis and S. aureus, respectively. These findings suggest that the protective mechanism of C3G against pathogens may influence the virulence factors of certain bacteria only.

Changes of bioactive components and antioxidant potential during fruit development of Prunus humilis Bunge.

Dynamic changes in flavonoid, total phenol, and antioxidant potential in different Prunus humilis accessions during fruit development stages were studied in order to provide a reference for the optimum harvest time for flavonoid extraction. 'Nongda 4', 'Nongda 5', 'DS-1' and '02-16' were selected as plant materials to determine the content of flavonoid, total phenol and antioxidant indices during six fruit development stages. Changes in total flavonoid content (TFC) and total phenol content (TPC) in different accessions of P. humilis were slightly different depending on the development stage of P. humilis fruit. TFC and TPC in 'Nongda 5' fruit showed a trend of continuous decline. There was a small increase in TFC and TPC from the young fruit stage to the stone hardening stage, followed by a decreasing trend, and then to the lowest level at the ripening stage of 'Nongda 4', 'DS-1', and '02-16' fruits. The trend of antioxidant capacity (ABTS, FRAP, DPPH) with the TFC and TPC of P. humilis fruit was basically the same, and the correlation analysis results showed that the TFC of P. humilis fruit was positively correlated with the antioxidant indices (P<0.01). Catechin (CC), rutin (RT), and quercetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (Q7G) were detected in all the fruit development stages of the four P. humilis fruits. Among them, catechin was the most abundant component, accounting for approximately 10%. Myricetin (MC) and quercetin (QC) were generally detected only in the early fruit development stage, but not in the later fruit development stage. Correlation analysis showed that the flavonoid components with TFC, TPC, and antioxidant indices differed between the different accessions. RT, CC, and liquiritigenin (LR) had a stronger correlation with TFC and antioxidant indices. Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) was not detected until the coloring stage in two red P. humilis accessions ('Nongda 4' and 'DS-1'), and so it is better to choose a red P. humilis fruit to extract C3G at the ripening stage. Selecting an early stage of fruit development, especially the stone hardening stage, was important for extracting flavonoids, total phenols and other components. We believe that our results will provide basic information and reference for evaluation of fruit nutrition and health benefits, breeding of functional new varieties, and efficient utilization of P. humilis fruit.

Saskatoon berry powder reduces hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in high fat-high sucrose diet-induced obese mice

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a common metabolic disorder associated with insulin resistance and lacks a specific treatment. Our previous studies demonstrated that freeze-dried Saskatoon berry powder (SBp) reduced high fat-high sucrose (HFHS) diet-induced hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in mice. The present study examined the effect of SBp and one of its active components, cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G), on hepatic steatosis in mice fed with HFHS diet for 10 weeks. HFHS diet significantly increased fasting plasma glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin resistance, inflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor-α, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, plasminogen activator inbitor-1), alanine aminotransferase activity, and monocyte adhesion compared to control diet. In the liver, HFHS diet increased steatosis, lipid accumulation, collagen deposition, and the abundance of patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3, CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein, toll-like receptor-4, and macrophage marker. Supplementation with SBp (5%) or C3G in an amount corresponding to that in 5% SBp to HFHS diet had similar effects to reduced fasting plasma glucose, liver steatosis, enzyme activity, lipid, collagen and macrophage deposition, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance, monocyte adhesion, markers related to liver steatosis, inflammation, oxidative or endoplasmic reticulum stress in the peripheral circulation and/or liver compared to mice fed with HFHS diet alone. No significant difference in the studied variables was detected between mice treated with HFHS+SBp and C3G diet. The results suggest that SBp or C3G administration attenuates HFHS diet-induced liver steatosis in addition to insulin resistance and chronic inflammation in mice. C3G may contribute to the beneficial effects of SBp.

Antiviral phytochemicals as potent inhibitors against NS3 protease of dengue virus

Dengue, a mosquito-borne disease, has appeared as a major infectious disease globally. The virus requires its proteins to replicate and reproduce in the host cell. The NS3 protease converts the polyprotein to functional proteins with the help of the NS2B cofactor. Thus, NS3 protease is a promising target to develop antiviral inhibitors against the dengue virus. A systematic screening including ADMET properties, molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, binding free energy calculation, and QSAR studies is carried out to predict potent inhibitors against the NS3 protease. From the screening of 40 antiviral phytochemicals, ADMET properties analysis was used to screen out ligands that violate ADME rules and have probable toxicity. Cyanidin 3-Glucoside, Dithymoquinone, and Glabridin were predicted to be potent inhibitors against the NS3 protease according to their binding affinity. These ligands showed several noncovalent interactions, including hydrogen bond, hydrophobic interaction, electrostatic interaction, pi-sulfur interactions. The ligand-protein complexes were further scrutinized using 250 ns molecular dynamics simulation. The MM-PBSA binding free energy calculation was conducted to investigate their binding stability in dynamic conditions. The calculated pIC50(mM) value was predicted using the QSAR model with 89.91% goodness of fit. The predicted biologocal activity value for the ligands indicates they might have good potency.

Pancreatin-induced liberation of starch/cyanidin 3-O-glucoside complexes from rice cooked with black soybean that exhibit slow hydrolysis

Cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (C3G), which has various health-promoting functions, is contained in black soybean (BSB). In Japan and Korea, BSB is cooked with rice and the cooked rice appears purplish in colour. In this study, BSB was cooked with glutinous rice, non-glutinous rice, and high-amylose rice. The amount of C3G detected in high-amylose rice was greater than that detected in glutinous rice, suggesting that C3G combined more efficiently with amylose than with amylopectin. Pancreatin induced the liberation of starch/C3G complexes from the purplish cooked rice, and rate of the liberation was in the following order; glutinous rice < non-glutinous rice < high-amylose rice. The amylose/C3G complexes liberated from high-amylose rice was hydrolysed slowly, while the amylopectin/C3G complexes liberated from glutinous rice were hydrolysed into smaller amylopectin/C3G complexes that were difficult to further hydrolysis. Thus, C3G may be useful for preparing foods whose starch hydrolysis is slow.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Late Season Peach Varieties (Prunus persica L.): Fruit Nutritional Quality and Phytochemicals.

Peaches are one of the most preferred seasonal fruits, and a reliable source of nutrients. They possess biologically active substances that largely differ among varieties. Hence, revealing the potential of several late season peaches is of present interest. Three commonly consumed varieties (“Flat Queen”; “Evmolpiya”; “Morsiani 90”) were studied in terms of nutritive and phytochemical content, as well as antioxidant activity with the use of reliable spectrophotometric and High Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) methods. An analysis of the soil was also made. The phytochemical data were subjected to principal component analysis in order to evaluate their relationship. The “Morsiani 90” variety had the highest minerals concentration (2349.03 mg/kg fw), total carbohydrates (16.21 g/100 g fw), and α-tocopherol (395.75 µg/100 g fresh weight (fw)). Similar amounts of TDF (approx. 3 g/100 g fw) were reported for all three varieties. “Flat Queen’s” peel extract was the richest in monomeric anthocyanins (2279.33 µg cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3GE)/100 g fw). The “Morsiani 90” variety extracts had the highest antioxidant potential, defined by 2,2-diphenil-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and cupric ion-reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assays.

Seven Brazilian Native Fruits as Potential Sources of Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidants

Background: Brazil is considered a country with the highest biological biodiversity in the world and exploring underutilized food sources could diversify food production and reduce nutritional problems. Objective: This study aimed to determine the antioxidant capacity and the bioactive compounds of seven native fruits from Brazil. Result: The main carotenoid for all species was β-carotene, and Jaracatiá showed the highest amount of β-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, α- and β-carotene. Açaí Juçara and the Butiás stood out among fruits analyzed with the highest antioxidant capacity (trolox equivalent). Concerning anthocyanins in Açaí Juçara, compounds Cyanidin 3-glucoside and Cyanidin 3-rutinoside were identified. The values of all the compounds vary according to the harvest location. Jaracatiá is distinguished by the high vitamin A, C, B2, and B6 content, as well the Butiás (Praia and Serra), for B1, B2, B5 and B7. Vitamin B3 was only detected in Fisális fruits and Açaí showed higher content of B5. Conclusion: Fruits included in this study were found to have considerable amounts of bioactive compounds, vitamins and antioxidant capacity, showing that they can contribute to the improvement of diet of the population.