Phytochemical and Pharmacological Aspects of Anthocyanins

Abstract

Anthocyanin is a natural compound in plants which comes under the phenolic compounds class. It is responsible for imparting attractive colors in the plants like red, purple and blue. Since, ancient times, plants containing anthocyanins have been used in herbal remedies to treat different medical conditions. The aim of this review article was to provide comprehensive information about the chemistry, stability, pH influences and different pharmacological activities exhibited by anthocyanins and emphasis its importance. Anthocyanins are known to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, cardiovascular and neuroprotective activity. It was also reported that anthocyanins contribute in enhancing learning and memory. In industrial field, anthocyanins are used as natural food colorants and this is for their relative safety when compared to the synthetic food colorants.