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ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Healthy Body Weight Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #405749
Research Project: Dietary and Physical Activity Guidance for Weight Loss and Maintenance

Location: Healthy Body Weight Research

Title: Chokeberry reduces inflammation in human preadipocytes

Author
item BRUNELLE, DALE - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item LARSON, KATE - Former ARS Employee
item Bundy, Amy
item Roemmich, James
item WARNE, DONALD - University Of North Dakota
item REDVERS, NICOLE - Western University

Submitted to: Journal of Functional Foods
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/5/2023
Publication Date: 12/15/2023
Citation: Brunelle, D.C., Larson, K.J., Bundy, A.N., Roemmich, J.N., Warne, D., Redvers, N. 2023. Chokeberry reduces inflammation in human preadipocytes. Journal of Functional Foods. 112:1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2023.105947.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2023.105947

Interpretive Summary: Chokeberry is an Indigenous fruit that grows in North America. Chokeberry juice extract (CBE) may be protective against heart disease, diabetes, and inflammation due to the bioactive compound anthocyanin. Anthocyanin reduces inflammation in human fat cells grown in culture. This study sought to determine whether these anti-inflammatory effects are due to a reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines via an epigenetic-regulated mechanism. CBE inhibited mRNA expression of some inflammatory factors. An epigenetic mechanism was discovered in the form of increased methylation of the human IL-6 promoter DNA. These data indicate that CBE epigenetically reduced inflammation by regulating IL-6 DNA methylation.

Technical Abstract: Chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa, is an Indigenous fruit that grows in North America. Animal and human studies demonstrated that chokeberry juice extract (CBE) has cardioprotective, anti-diabetic, and anti-inflammatory properties due to a high concentration of the anti-inflammatory bioactive compound anthocyanin [1-4]. In vitro, anthocyanin reduces saturated fatty palmitic acid (PA)-induced inflammation in human primary adipocytes [5], mouse adipocyte 3T3-L1 cells [6], and mouse macrophage Raw 267.4 cells [3]. However, whether these anti-inflammatory effects are due to a reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) via an epigenetic-regulated mechanism has not yet been determined. The objective of this study was to test the anti-inflammatory effects of anthocyanin on PA-induced IL-6 gene expression, IL-6 DNA methylation, and histone (H3) acetylation. Additionally, we examined the effect of anthocyanins Cyanidin 3-O-galactoside (C3Gal) and Cyanidin 3-glucoside (C3G) on PA or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced IL-6 gene expression. Cultured human primary pre-adipocytes isolated from subcutaneous adipose tissue were pretreated with either 2uM C3G, C3Gal, or CBE for three hours prior to addition of LPS or PA in presence or absence of 2uM C3G, C3Gal, or CBE. CBE inhibited LPS- and PA-induced IL-6 mRNA expression (p< 0.0001), while C3G (p= 0.0790) and C3Gal (p=0.1667) had smaller effects. Human IL-6 promoter DNA methylation was increased (p=0.0256) in CBE treated cells compared to the control. Histone 3 acetylations (H3K9, H3K14, and H3K18) were not affected by CBE or PA treatment. These data indicate that CBE epigenetically reduced PA-induced inflammation by regulating IL-6 DNA methylation without affecting histone modifications in human preadipocyte cells.