title: Anthocyanins do not influence long-chain n-3 fatty acid status: studies in cells, rodents and humans.
abstract: Increased tissue status of the long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is associated with cardiovascular and cognitive benefits. Limited epidemiological and animal data suggest that flavonoids, and specifically anthocyanins, may increase EPA and DHA levels, potentially by increasing their synthesis from the shorter-chain n-3 PUFA, α-linolenic acid. Using complimentary cell, rodent and human studies we investigated the impact of anthocyanins and anthocyanin-rich foods/extracts on plasma and tissue EPA and DHA levels and on the expression of fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2), which represents the rate limiting enzymes in EPA and DHA synthesis. In experiment 1, rats were fed a standard diet containing either palm oil or rapeseed oil supplemented with pure anthocyanins for 8 weeks. Retrospective fatty acid analysis was conducted on plasma samples collected from a human randomized controlled trial where participants consumed an elderberry extract for 12 weeks (experiment 2). HepG2 cells were cultured with α-linolenic acid with or without select anthocyanins and their in vivo metabolites for 24 h and 48 h (experiment 3). The fatty acid composition of the cell membranes, plasma and liver tissues were analyzed by gas chromatography. Anthocyanins and anthocyanin-rich food intake had no significant impact on EPA or DHA status or FADS2 gene expression in any model system. These data indicate little impact of dietary anthocyanins on n-3 PUFA distribution and suggest that the increasingly recognized benefits of anthocyanins are unlikely to be the result of a beneficial impact on tissue fatty acid status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom. Electronic address: D.Vauzour@uea.ac.uk.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vauzour
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Noemi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tejera
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Colette
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Booz
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Baptiste
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jude
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Christian-Albrechts-University, D-24118 Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Insa M A
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UA, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rigby
authors.affiliation: Deparment of Metabolism and Nutrition, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos y Nutrición (ICTAN), CSIC, José Antonio Novais 10, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Jose Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Silvan
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Curtis
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Aedin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cassidy
authors.affiliation: Deparment of Metabolism and Nutrition, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos y Nutrición (ICTAN), CSIC, José Antonio Novais 10, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: de Pascual-Teresa
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Christian-Albrechts-University, D-24118 Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rimbach
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Anne Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Minihane
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003677:Deficiency Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005527:Food, Fortified; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017698:Postmenopause; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D027923:Sambucus / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000872:Anthocyanins; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases; C533241:FADS2 protein, human
keywords: Anthocyanins; Human; Liver; Rat; n-3 PUFA