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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Little Rock, Arkansas » Microbiome and Metabolism Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #277628
Title: Comparison of phenolic acid profiles and anti-inflammatory effects of two major species of blueberries in the US

Author
item KANG, JIE - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)
item THAKALI, KESHARI - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)
item WU, XIANLI - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)

Submitted to: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/15/2011
Publication Date: 4/1/2012
Citation: Kang, J., Thakali, K.M., Wu, X. 2012. Comparison of phenolic acid profiles and anti-inflammatory effects of two major species of blueberries in the US. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal. 26(Meeting Abstracts):373.1.

Interpretive Summary: Highbush and lowbush blueberry (BB) are two main species of BB in North America. They both contain high levels of polyphenols. The total phenolic acids (PAs) content of lowbush and highbush BB were totally quantified. Anti-inflammatory effects of extracts rich in polyphenol of the two BB species were evaluated by a method called “SEAP assay”. Our data indicated that the concentrations of PAs in the two major BB species are very different. Lowbush BB polyphenols exhibited greater anti-inflammatory potential than those of highbush BB.

Technical Abstract: Blueberries (BB) contain high levels of polyphenols. Among them, phenolic acids (PAs) have been recently suggested as a group of important bioactive compounds. Highbush BB (Vaccinium corymbosum) and lowbush “wild" BB (Vaccinium angustifolium) are two predominant species in North America. The first objective of this study is to systemically analyze and compare the profiles of PAs in these two species. Nine PAs were detected and quantified in both species by HPLC/MS; of these, five PAs were identified in BB for the first time. The total PA content of lowbush BB (4.90 mg/g, dry weight (DW)) is about 3.2 times higher than that of highbush BB (1.53 mg/g, DW). Chlorogenic acid is the most abundant PA in BB, at 4.87 mg/g DW and 1.12 mg/g DW in lowbush and highbush BB. Anti-inflammatory effects of polyphenol-rich extracts of the two BB species were evaluated by a SEAP reporter assay to measure NF-'B activation. An initial test using 10 µg/mL of extracts showed that lowbush and highbush BB inhibited LPS-induced NF-KappaB activation by 30.7 % and 16.8 % (P<0.05), respectively. Our data indicated that the concentrations of phenolic acids in the two major BB species are very different. Lowbush BB polyphenols exhibited greater anti-inflammatory potential than those of highbush BB. The anti-inflammatory effects of polyphenols in BB warrant further investigation.