Stability and Antiglycoxidant Potential of Bilberry Anthocyanins in Simulated Gastrointestinal Tract Model

Abstract

Anthocyanins from Vaccinium myrtillus fruits have been reported in vitro to exert potent radical scavenging and antiglycation activities. However, the physiological relevance of such properties remains unclear given the potential susceptibility of anthocyanin derivatives to digestive conditions. A simulated gastrointestinal tract model was thus implemented to assess the impact of gastric and intestinal phases on the chemical integrity of bilberry anthocyanins and their antiglycoxidant effects. Results demonstrated that the investigated activities as well as total and individual anthocyanin contents were marginally affected by gastric conditions. By contrast, with recoveries ranging from 16.1 to 41.2%, bilberry anthocyanins were shown to be highly sensitive to the intestinal phase. Of major interest, a much better preservation was observed for radical scavenging and antiglycation activities as attested by recovery rates ranging from 79.1 to 86.7%. Consistently with previous observations, the present study confirms the moderate bioaccessibility of anthocyanin constituents. It does however provide valuable information supporting the persistence of substantial radical scavenging and antiglycation activities at each step of the digestion process. Taken together, these data indicate that digestive conditions might not abolish the potential positive effects of bilberry consumption on both oxidative and carbonyl stresses.

Impact of Simulated Gastrointestinal Conditions on Antiglycoxidant and α-Glucosidase Inhibition Capacities of Cyanidin-3-O-Glucoside

“…A simulation of gastric and intestinal phases was performed as previously reported [ 24 ]. For the gastric phase, 5 mL of C3G solution (5 mg/mL in distilled water) was mingled with 3 mL of SGF stock solution and 1 mL of pepsin solution (20,000 U/mL in SGF stock solution).…”

“…The TPC and TAC were evaluated following the previously reported colorimetric methods [ 24 ]. Absorbances were measured at 740 and 520 nm, respectively, with a Jasco V-630 spectrophotometer (Lisses, France).…”

“…The ABTS scavenging capacity was evaluated as previously reported [ 24 ]. After a 10x dilution in a phosphate buffer (50 mM), 20 µL of the solutions was mixed with 250 µL of the ABTS •+ mixture prepared following the protocol of Re et al [ 25 ].…”

“…Such methods have been shown to be effective for evaluating the bioaccessibility of a broad range of drugs, nutrients and phytoconstituents [ 22 ]. Additionally, these approaches have successfully highlighted the chemical susceptibility of several anthocyanin derivatives, including C3G, to gastrointestinal conditions [ 23 , 24 ]. However, further experimental data would be of major interest to provide a clearer understanding of the impact of digestive conditions on the structural integrity and the biological properties of that key member of the anthocyanin group.…”

Vaccinium uliginosum and Vaccinium myrtillus—Two Species—One Used as a Functional Food

“…Commonly called bilberries, their fruits are highly valued as a rich source of anthocyanins, which are naturally occurring compounds. In fresh berries, their content is about 0.5% [1][2][3][4]. In addition to fresh fruit, berries can also be consumed as frozen, dried, juices, jams, and food supplements [5].…”