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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Little Rock, Arkansas » Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #171267
Title: PELARGONIDIN IS ABSORBED AND METABOLIZED DIFFERENTLY THAN CYANIDIN AFTER MARIONBERRY CONSUMPTION IN PIGS

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

Submitted to: Journal of Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/12/2004
Publication Date: 7/30/2004
Citation: Wu, X., Pittman, H.E., Prior, R.L. 2004. Pelargonidin is absorbed and metabolize differently than cyanidin after marionberry consumption in pigs. Journal of Nutrition. 134(10):603-2610.

Interpretive Summary: Anthocyanins, the components in fruits and berries that give the dark red/blue color, were studied because of their strong antioxidant capacity and potential health effects in disease prevention. Anthocyanins have been shown to decrease the amount of oxidized LDL in the blood and to have other anti-atherosclerotic as well as anti-inflammatory effects. Our studies were aimed at better understanding the absorption and metabolism of the anthocyanins present in marionberry. Marionberries are a cross between two varieties of blackberries which are grown in the northwest U.S. and have quite high levels of anthocyanins. All of the 4 major anthocyanins in marionberry were found to be absorbed intact and eleven metabolites formed during the absorption process were identified, many of which had not been identified previously. Some marked differences in apparent absorption and metabolism of different individual anthocyanins were observed which may have important implications in the biological effects observed following consumption of fruits and berries containing different anthocyanins.

Technical Abstract: Weaning pigs (7.9 ± 1.7 kg) were fed a freeze-dried powder of marionberry (MB) by stomach tube, as an effort to study the bioavailability anthocyanins. Four major anthocyanins (ACNs) were found in MB: cyanidin-3-glucoside (Cy-3-glc, 78%), cyanidin-3-rutinoside (Cy-3-rutin, 20%), pelargonidin-3-glucoside (Pg-3-glc, 0.4%) and one unknown acylated cyanidin based ACN (UACy, 1.5%). In the urine, the four original ACNs and eleven metabolites were identified and quantified. The main metabolites were glucuronidated and/or methylated forms of the original anthocyanins. Total recovery of the four original ACNs plus their related metabolites was 0.087 ± 0.034% for Cy-3-glc, 0.084 ± 0.026% for Cy-3-rutin, 0.583 ± 0.229% for Pg-3-glc and 0.036± 0.011% for UACy (mean ± SD, n=3), respectively. For the individual ACNs, the amount of metabolites recovered from Cy-3-rutin was lower than that of the original intact Cy-3-rutin, whereas the amount of metabolites from Cy-3-glc and Pg-3-glc in the urine were much higher than their original forms. In pig plasma, the two original ACNs, Cy-3-glc and Cy-3-rutin, and a trace of one metabolite (cyanidin monoglucuronide) were detected. The plasma concentration/dose ratio of Cy-3-rutin was significantly higher than that of Cy-3-glc. Different aglycones and/or sugar moieties may significantly influence the absorption and metabolism of ACNs. Cy-3-glc and cy-3-rutin had similar apparent excretion rates, while pelargonidin-3-glucoside had a much higher total urinary excretion than cyanidin-based anthocyanins. Most of cy-3-glc and pg-3-glc were excreted in the form of metabolites, whereas most of the cy-3-rutin was excreted in its original unmetabolized form. Urinary recovery of acylated anthocyanin was lower than that of nonacylated anthocyanins.