BACKGROUND: Limited information is available regarding the relationship between the chemical structures and inhibitory effects of anthocyanin (ACN) on triglyceride (TG) overaccumulation. Thus this study investigated the antioxidant activity and inhibitory effect of blackberry, wild blueberry, strawberry, and chokeberry ACN-rich extracts, with different structural characteristics, on oleic acid-induced hepatic steatosis in vitro. Four major ACNs from these berries, with different aglycones, namely cyanidin-3-glucoside (Cy-3-glu), delphinidin-3-glucoside, pelargonidin-3-glucoside, and malvidin-3-glucoside, were also investigated.RESULTS: Blackberry ACN-rich extract exhibited the most significant inhibitory effect on TG clearance (30.5% ± 3.4%) and reactive oxygen species generation. TG clearance was significantly correlated with total phenolic content (r = 0.991, P < 0.05) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity value (r = 0.961, P < 0.05). Furthermore, Cy-3-glu showed the highest inhibitory effect on intracellular TG overaccumulation, with a maximum TG clearance of 61.3% at 40 µg mL(-1) .CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the inhibitory effects of different ACNs on oleic acid-induced hepatic steatosis significantly vary. Cy-3-glu, which contains the ortho hydroxyl group in its B ring, possibly confers the protective effects of antioxidants and inhibits TG accumulation in HepG2 cells. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.
Animals Anthocyanins