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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Little Rock, Arkansas » Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #180054

Title: INCREASES IN ANTHOCYANIN (ACN) AND ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY IN THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT (GIT) WER GREATER IN BLUEBERRY (BB) COMPARED TO CONCORD GRAPE (CG) FED RATS

Author
item WU, XIANLI - ACNC/UAMS
item PITTMAN, HOY - ACNC
item CADWALLADER, LAURIE - ACNC
item Prior, Ronald

Submitted to: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/2005
Publication Date: 3/4/2005
Citation: Wu, X., Pittman, H.E., Cadwallader, L.A., Prior, R.L. 2005. Increases in anthocyanin (acn) and antioxidant capacity in the gastrointestinal tract (git) wer greater in blueberry (bb) compared to concord grape (cg) fed rats. The FASEB Journal 19(4):A448.

Interpretive Summary: Anthocyanins are antioxidants found in high concentrations in fruits, especially berries and they are thought to provide health advantages in protection against cellular damage from free radicals that are formed during metabolism. Very little is known about the absorption and disposition of these compounds. This study merely investigated the distribution of anthocyanins throughout the gastrointestinal tract after a meal of blueberries or concord grapes in rats.

Technical Abstract: Adult female rats (4/group) were fed an AIN-93G based diet which contained: 0%, 2.5%, 5% or 10% CG or BB powder. After 8 weeks, the rats were sacrificed between 8 - 12a.m. and the contents of four segments of the GIT (stomach, small intestine, cecum and colon) were collected. GIT contents were analyzed for total phenolics as Folin-Cicalten, antioxidant capacity (AC) as ORACfl and ACNs by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS/AC in the total GIT increased over 3-fold in a dose-dependent manner with the BB diets, but not with the CG diets. Total ACNs (ug, mean plus/minus SEM) in the entire GIT varied from 39.3 plus/minus 20.4 (2.5% CG) to 2390.4 plus/minus 390.1 (10% BB). Intestinal cells were exposed to ACN concentrations ranging from 2 to 800 uM. ACN relative concentrations (RC) (% of individual ACN to total ACNs) differed among the gut segments. Compared to the diet, RC of nonacylated malvidin ACNs and anthocyanidin diglucosides were 37-700% higher in the stomach and small intestine, while anthocyanidin arabinosides (except for cyanidin) RC were 60-250% higher in the cecum and colon. In addition to ACNs, caftaric acid and chlorogenic acid were major phenolic compounds in CG and BB, respectively. Concentrations of these phenolic acids in the cecum and colon were less than 0.1% of concentrations found in the stomach and small intestinal contents. ACN aglycone and/or glycoside alter apparent absorption and/or ACNs in the GIT.