Anthocyanins from fruit juices improve the antioxidant status of healthy young female volunteers without affecting anti-inflammatory parameters: results from the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over ANTHONIA (ANTHOcyanins in Nutrition Investigation Alliance) study

Abstract

Anthocyanins (ACN) can exert beneficial health effects not only through their antioxidative potential but also through modulation of inflammatory parameters that play a major role in CVD. A randomised cross-over study was carried out to investigate the effects of ACN-rich beverage ingestion on oxidation-and inflammation-related parameters in thirty healthy female volunteers. The participants consumed 330 ml of beverages (placebo, juice and smoothie with 8·9 (SD 0·3), 983·7 (SD 37) and 840·9 (SD 10) mg/l ACN, respectively) over 14 d. Before and after each intervention, blood and 24 h urine samples were collected. Plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities increased significantly after ACN-rich beverage ingestion (P,0·001), whereas after placebo juice ingestion no increase could be observed. Plasma glutathione peroxidase and erythrocyte SOD activities were not affected. An increase in Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity could also be observed after juice (P, 0·001) and smoothie (P,0·01) ingestion. The plasma and urinary concentrations of malondialdehyde decreased after ACN-rich beverage ingestion (P, 0·001), whereas those of 8-OH-2-deoxyguanosine as well as inflammation-related parameters (IL-2, -6, -8 and -10, C-reactive peptide, soluble cluster of differentiation 40 ligand, TNF-a, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and soluble cell adhesion molecules) were not affected. Thus, ingestion of ACN-rich beverages improves antioxidant enzyme activities and plasma antioxidant capacity, thus protecting the body against oxidative stress, a hallmark of ongoing atherosclerosis.

Effects of purified anthocyanin supplementation on platelet chemokines in hypocholesterolemic individuals: a randomized controlled trial

“…Moreover, Björk et al have found that CCL2 secretion by human primary fat cells is suppressed following treatment with the anthocyanin cyanidin-3-glucoside (130 nM) for 48 h [53]. In contrast, another study conducted by Kuntz et al has revealed that in healthy young female volunteers, the CXCL8 and CCL2 levels are not affected by consumption of 330 ml/d of anthocyanin-rich fruit beverages for 14 days [54]. These inconsistencies among studies may be related to differences in the dose of anthocyanins used, the duration of the intervention and the study subjects.…”

A Randomized Clinical Trial Evaluating the Efficacy of an Anthocyanin–Maqui Berry Extract (Delphinol®) on Oxidative Stress Biomarkers

“…The position and number of the hydroxyl and methyl groups in the skeleton are crucial for the radical scavenging activities of anthocyanins, and delphinidin containing 3 hydroxylation in the B ring showed the highest antioxidant activity [7,8]. Although in vitro evidence strongly supports a role of anthocyanins in the modulation of well-defined molecular targets considered to be useful for the prevention of NCDs [9][10][11], the few human intervention studies offer conflicting and inconclusive results [12][13][14]. Because berry composition depends on genetic, seasonal, and postharvest factors, interspecies variation in anthocyanin content and different metabolic fates in human metabolism may partially explain the variability in clinical study results.…”

Protection from DNA Damage by Use of an Aronia Food Supplement—Results from a Pilot Human Intervention Study

“…For instance, in a human intervention study, 30 female volunteers consumed an anthocyanin-rich red fruit juice (330 mL/d). GPx was not modulated after 2 weeks of intervention, but SOD and CAT activities in the plasma of the volunteers were significantly increased [29]. In another study with 20 female volunteers, in contrast, no effects on GPx, CAT, or SOD activity in erythrocytes were observed after 2 weeks of cranberry juice intake (750 mL/d) [30].…”