Differential effects of cyanidin and cyanidin-3-glucoside on human cell lines

Abstract

Anthocyanins are pigments in plants. Anthocyanins and their aglycons, anthocyanidins, have various biological effects. In the present study, we examined the effects of cyanidin and cyanidin-3-glucoside on intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and on proliferative effects, using four cancer cell lines and one normal cell line, and we found that cyanidin (100 μmol/L) has significant effects when compared with cyanidin-3-glucoside. Cyanidin reduced intracellular ROS levels in MCF-7, HuH-7, HepG2, Caco- 2 and HUVEC cell lines, but cyanidin-3-glucoside did not. Cyanidin inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7, HuH-7, HepG2 and Caco-2 cells, but cyanidin-3-glucoside did not. Cyanidin and cyanidin-3-glucoside had no effect on the proliferation of HUVEC. We also tested cyanidin-3-rutinoside, peonidin and peonidin-3- glucoside, but the presence of a sugar in their structure hampered the biological effects of aglycons. These results suggest that a sugar in the anthocyanin structure affects biological activity.