title: Potential Retinal Benefits of Dietary Polyphenols Based on Their Permeability across the Blood-Retinal Barrier.
abstract: Whether all dietary polyphenols nourish the eyes via oral supplementation is controversial. Given that passage of dietary polyphenols across the blood-retina barrier (BRB) is the precondition for polyphenols to exhibit ocular benefits, the BRB permeability of polyphenols was assessed in this study. Being common dietary polyphenols in fruits and vegetables, nonanthocyanin flavonoids, anthocyanins, and phenolic acids were investigated. BRB was simulated in vitro by using a differentiated retinal pigment epithelial cell monolayer cultivated on a Transwell culture system. Penetration rate was calculated by quantitatively analyzing the polyphenols in basolateral media. The BRB permeability of different polyphenols obviously (p < 0.05) differed, as follows: phenolic acids > nonanthocyanin flavonoids > anthocyanins. Glycosylation and methylation improved the BRB permeability of nonanthocyanin flavonoids and anthocyanins. However, instability and carbonylation at the C-4 position severely suppressed the BRB permeability of anthocyanins and nonanthocyanin flavonoids. Moreover, a new metabolite was discovered during penetration of anthocyanins into the BRB. However, hydrophilic phenolic acids exhibited better BRB permeability than hydrophobic ones. Data demonstrate that BRB permeability of polyphenols was determined based on structural characteristics, hydrophilicity, stability, and metabolic changes.
authors.affiliation: College of Food and Biological Engineering, Jimei University , Xiamen, Fujian 361021, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yixiang
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4574-8309
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Food and Biological Engineering, Jimei University , Xiamen, Fujian 361021, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Guang-Ming
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8689-0504
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Food and Biological Engineering, Jimei University , Xiamen, Fujian 361021, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Min-Jie
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: College of Food and Biological Engineering, Jimei University , Xiamen, Fujian 361021, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Qingchou
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: College of Food and Biological Engineering, Jimei University , Xiamen, Fujian 361021, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lechang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University , Beijing 100083, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Baoping
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ji
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport; D001813:Blood-Retinal Barrier / Q000378:metabolism*; D029798:Blueberry Plants / Q000737:chemistry*; D002460:Cell Line; D006801:Humans; D010539:Permeability; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D059808:Polyphenols / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D059808:Polyphenols
keywords: RPE cells; anthocyanins; blood−retina barrier; flavonoids; phenolic acids