Functionality of Anthocyanins as Alternative Medicine

Abstract

Anthocyanins of the proanthocyanidin-type glucosides in flavonoids are con- tained as functional constituents of fruits such as cranberry, blueberry, orange and apple and vegetables such as tomato, sweet pepper, spinach and radishes, and have been eaten as part of daily diets from the primitive era of human history. When anthocyanins are coupled with some water-soluble sugar molecules, they produce red, yellow, violet or blue colors. This explains why anthocyanins give a colorful variety of pigments for pansies, petunias, plums and other flowers. Interestingly, chlorophyll in various fruits and vegeta- bles is the main green component, while anthocyanins are probably the most important visible plant pigments having specific colors. Anthocyanins have been clinically used in many folklore medicines worldwide that provide health benefits. Anthocyanins display antioxidant capacity against superoxide radicals, hydrogen peroxide, and other oxidants, and thus are expected to protect us from oxidative injury. In this review, the antioxidant mechanism of anthocyanidins present in common foods is discussed.