title: Four-week ingestion of blood orange juice results in measurable anthocyanin urinary levels but does not affect cellular markers related to cardiovascular risk: a randomized cross-over study in healthy volunteers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Blood orange juice (OJ) is an important source of anthocyanins (ACN). The latter molecules are endowed with antioxidant activity and might thus modulate different cell function. Our aim was to investigate ACN absorption following a 1-month daily supplementation of blood OJ and their potential effects on cell markers of platelet and leukocyte activation and interaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen healthy subjects (10 men and 8 women) were supplemented for 4 weeks with 1 L/day of either blood OJ or blond OJ (that contains no ACN), following a cross-over design. Blood samples were obtained from fasting participants both at baseline and after each week of treatment to measure plasma ACN concentration. At the same time-intervals, 24-h urinary excretion of these molecules was also measured. At the beginning and the end of each 4-week intervention period, platelet and leukocyte markers and mixed cell conjugates were assessed both in basal condition and upon in vitro collagen/ADP activation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 1 week supplementation with blood OJ, 24-h urinary excretion of ACN reached average levels of 11.47 ± 5.63 nmol that significantly differed from baseline and remained substantially unchanged until the end of treatment. No plasma accumulation of ACN following blood OJ supplementation was observed. Cellular markers were not significantly affected by either OJ after 4-week supplementation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Following supplementation of healthy volunteers with 1 L/day of blood OJ for 4 weeks, the ACN plasma levels reached were insufficient to significantly modify cell markers of platelet and leukocyte activation and interaction.
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratories, Catholic University, Fondazione di Ricerca e Cura Giovanni Paolo II, L. go A. Gemelli 1, 86100, Campobasso, Italy. lucia.giordano@rm.unicatt.it
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Coletta
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tamburrelli
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Imperio
authors.forename: Marilena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crescente
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Silvestri
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rapisarda
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reforgiato Recupero
authors.forename: Amalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Curtis
authors.forename: Licia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iacoviello
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: de Gaetano
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rotilio
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cerletti
authors.forename: Maria Benedetta
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Donati
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000652:urine*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D001628:Beverages; D001682:Biological Availability; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D032084:Citrus sinensis; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000872:Anthocyanins; D000975:Antioxidants; D015415:Biomarkers