No abstract

Anthocyanins found in tart cherries have been shown to function as antioxidants and anti‐inflammatory agents. The in vivo bioavailability of anthocyanins from the ingestion of whole fruits or vegetables and their potential biologic effects have not been well characterized.This study was designed to investigate the pharmacokinetics of anthocyanins in healthy human subjects following the ingestion of a measured dose of tart cherries. We quantified five major anthocyanin compounds in Montmorency cherries as cyanidin 3‐glucosylrutinoside, followed by cyanidin 3‐rutinoside, cyanydin sophoroside, peonidin 3‐glucoside and pelargonidin for the estimation of the tart cherry dose. Samples from human subjects were collected at specified time points over a 14 hour time period. Our preliminary results indicate that anthocyanin metabolites can be identified and quantified in human blood and urine using Liquid Chromatography‐Mass Spectrometry (LC‐MS) analysis. The consumption of whole fruit tart cherries resulted in the appearance of two unmodified anthocyanins in plasma: cyanidin 3‐glucosylrutinoside and cyanidin‐3‐rutinoside, and three modified anthocyanins in urine: cyanidin‐xylosylxyloside, pelarogonidin‐xylosylxyloside, and methylated peonidin‐xylosyloside. In order to determine clinical relevance, further work is planned to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of human plasma after ingestion of tart cherries.