It has some other nifty effects as well...science alert!
J Hum Hypertens. 2012 Feb 16. doi: 10.1038/jhh.2012.4. [Epub ahead of print]
Effects of anthocyanins on cardiovascular risk factors and inflammation in pre-hypertensive men: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled crossover study.
Hassellund SS, Flaa A, Kjeldsen SE, Seljeflot I, Karlsen A, Erlund I, Rostrup M.
Source
1] Section of Cardiovascular and Renal Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway [2] Department of Acute Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway [3] Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Abstract
High intake of fruits and vegetables is associated with reduced cardiovascular risk. A number of fruits and vegetables are rich in anthocyanins, which constitute a subgroup of the flavonoids. Anthocyanins have demonstrated anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties, and anthocyanin-rich interventions have indicated beneficial effects on blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors. We assessed whether a purified anthocyanin supplement improves cardiovascular metabolic risk factors and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in prehypertensive participants, and whether plasma polyphenols are increased 1-3 h following intake. In all, 31 men between 35-51 years with screening blood pressure >140/90 mm Hg without anti-hypertensive or lipid-lowering medication, were randomized in a double-blinded crossover study to placebo versus 640 mg anthocyanins daily. Treatment durations were 4 weeks with a 4-week washout. High-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and blood glucose were significantly higher after anthocyanin versus placebo treatment (P=0.043 and P=0.024, respectively). No effects were observed on inflammation or oxidative stress in vivo, except for von Willebrand factor, which was higher in the anthocyanin period (P=0.007). Several plasma polyphenols increased significantly 1-3 h following anthocyanin intake. The present study strengthens the evidence that anthocyanins may increase HDL-cholesterol levels, and this is demonstrated for the first time in prehypertensive and non-dyslipidemic men. However, no other beneficial effects in the short term were found on pathophysiological markers of cardiovascular disease.Journal of Human Hypertension advance online publication, 16 February 2012; doi:10.1038/jhh.2012.4.
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Free Radic Biol Med. 2012 Feb 1;52(3):646-59. Epub 2011 Nov 23.
Purple sweet potato color attenuates domoic acid-induced cognitive deficits by promoting estrogen receptor-α-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis signaling in mice.
Lu J, Wu DM, Zheng YL, Hu B, Cheng W, Zhang ZF.
Source
Key Laboratory for Biotechnology on Medicinal Plants of Jiangsu Province, School of Life Science, Xuzhou Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China.
Abstract
Recent findings suggest that endoplasmic reticulum stress may be involved in the pathogenesis of domoic acid-induced neurodegeneration. Purple sweet potato color, a class of naturally occurring anthocyanins, has beneficial health and biological effects. Recent studies have also shown that anthocyanins have estrogenic activity and can enhance estrogen receptor-α expression. In this study, we evaluated the effect of purple sweet potato color on cognitive deficits induced by hippocampal mitochondrial dysfunction in domoic acid-treated mice and explored the potential mechanisms underlying this effect. Our results showed that the oral administration of purple sweet potato color to domoic acid-treated mice significantly improved their behavioral performance in a step-through passive avoidance task and a Morris water maze task. These improvements were mediated, at least in part, by a stimulation of estrogen receptor-α-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis signaling and by decreases in the expression of p47phox and gp91phox. Decreases in reactive oxygen species and protein carbonylation were also observed, along with a blockade of the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway. Furthermore, purple sweet potato color significantly suppressed endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis, which prevented neuron loss and restored the expression of memory-related proteins. However, knockdown of estrogen receptor-α using short hairpin RNA only partially blocked the neuroprotective effects of purple sweet potato color in the hippocampus of mice cotreated with purple sweet potato color and domoic acid, indicating that purple sweet potato color acts through multiple pathways. These results suggest that purple sweet potato color could be a possible candidate for the prevention and treatment of cognitive deficits in excitotoxic and other brain disorders.
Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PMID:22178976 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Purple sweet potato color suppresses lipopolysaccharide-induced acute inflammatory response in mouse brain.
Wang YJ, Zheng YL, Lu J, Chen GQ, Wang XH, Feng J, Ruan J, Sun X, Li CX, Sun QJ.
Source
Key Laboratory for Biotechnology on Medicinal Plants of Jiangsu Province, School of Life Science, Xuzhou Normal University, No 101 Shanghai Road, Xuzhou 221116, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
Abstract
The neuroprotective effects of purple sweet potato color (PSPC), which is natural anthocyanin food colors, have been investigated in mice treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In behavioral tests, oral administration of PSPC could significantly reverse the impairment of motor and exploration behavior induced by LPS in the open field tasks, and also improve learning and memory ability in step-through tests. Western blot analysis indicated that PSPC significantly suppressed LPS-induced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthases (iNOS) expression in mouse brain. PSPC also markedly decreased the overproduction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in LPS-stimulated mouse brain. Mechanistically, PSPC strongly inhibited LPS-induced phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) expression and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) activation. Taken together, these data suggest that PSPC may be useful for mitigating inflammatory brain diseases by the inhibition of proinflammatory molecule production, at least in part, through blocking ERK, JNK and NF-kappaB signaling.
Crown Copyright (c) 2009. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
PMID:19941923 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Antioxidant and memory enhancing effects of purple sweet potato anthocyanin and cordyceps mushroom extract.
Cho J, Kang JS, Long PH, Jing J, Back Y, Chung KS.
Source
College of Pharmacy, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764, Korea.
Abstract
The effects of purple sweet potato anthocyanin (SPA) and Cordyceps mushroom extract (CME) on lipid peroxidation, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and cognitive deficits were examined. Both SPA and CME exhibited DPPH radical scavenging activities with similar potency. In contrast, only SPA was shown to effectively inhibit lipid peroxidation initiated by Fe2+ and ascorbic acid in rat brain homogenates. Furthermore, SPA markedly enhanced cognitive performance, assessed by passive avoidance test in ethanol-treated mice. Combined treatments with SPA and CME did not significantly influence the effects of SPA alone. These results demonstrate that anthocyanin prepared from purple sweet potato exhibits memory enhancing effects, which may be associated with its antioxidant properties.
PMID:14609130 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
