What is the function of anthocyanin?

What is the function of anthocyanin?

Anthocyanins are a group of polyphenolic pigments that are ubiquitously found in the plant kingdom. In plants, anthocyanins play a role not only in reproduction, by attracting pollinators and seed dispersers, but also in protection against various abiotic and biotic stresses.

Which foods are rich in anthocyanins?

Anthocyanins are found in high concentrations in blackcurrants, blackberries and blueberries, as well as in aubergine (in the skin), red cabbage, cranberries and cherries.

Is anthocyanin good for cancer?

Anthocyanins have been shown to exhibit anti-carcinogenic activity against multiple cancer cell types in vitro and tumor types in vivo.

What is the difference between anthocyanin and Anthocyanidin?

Anthocyanin and anthocyanidin are two types of red-blue plant flavonoids, mostly found in flowers and fruits of higher plants. The main difference between anthocyanin and anthocyanidin is that anthocyanin is a water-soluble vacuolar pigment whereas anthocyanidin is the sugar-free counterpart of anthocyanin.

Is anthocyanin a gene?

Two classes of genes are required for anthocyanin biosynthesis, the structural genes encoding the enzymes that directly participate in the formation of anthocyanins and other flavonoids, and the regulatory genes that control the transcription of structural genes.

Are anthocyanins good for you?

Found naturally in a number of foods, anthocyanins are the pigments that give red, purple, and blue plants their rich coloring. In addition to acting as antioxidants and fighting free radicals, anthocyanins may offer anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-cancer benefits.

Do anthocyanin supplements work?

Conclusions: Our findings suggested that the supplementation with anthocyanin in athletes may improve some indices of performance such as VO2 max.

What vegetables contain anthocyanin?

Anthocyanins may have antioxidant and anti-aging benefits and may even enhance memory. Common fruits and vegetables rich in anthocyanins include blueberries, black grapes, raisins, blackberries, plums, purple cabbage, eggplant, purple cauliflower and purple potatoes.

How does anthocyanin prevent cancer?

During the formation phase, anthocyanins prevent carcinogenesis by targeting the MAPK pathway and AP‐1 and by inhibiting RTK activity and its signal cascade pathway to regulate the expression of cancer‐related genes, which leads to cell cycle arrest and DNA repair.

Is anthocyanin a acid or base?

Anthocyanins are usually represented by their flavylium cation, which is actually the sole chemical species in fairly acidic aqueous solution (pH < 2).

Why is anthocyanin a pH indicator?

Anthocyanins may be used as pH indicators because their color changes with pH; they are red or pink in acidic solutions (pH < 7), purple in neutral solutions (pH ≈ 7), greenish-yellow in alkaline solutions (pH > 7), and colorless in very alkaline solutions, where the pigment is completely reduced.

Are anthocyanins safe?

Anthocyanins extracted from plants are red, blue, and purple pigments. These pigments are the natural colorants with low to no toxicity. Natural colorants are somehow safe to be consumed even at higher doses compared to synthetic colorants. Anthocyanins, as natural colorants, have value-added properties [29].

What is the colour of anthocyanins?

The colour of anthocyanins depends on the level of acidity. In acidic conditions, anthocyanins appear in red whilst, in less acidic conditions, they appear in blue. Anthocyanins can be subdivided into two categories: anthocyanidin aglycons and anthocyanin glycosides.

What are anthocyanosides and how do they work?

Anthocyanosides, obtained from Vaccinium myrtillus, has demonstrated significant preventive and curative antiulcer activity by influencing the biosynthesis of mucopolysaccharides, thus improving the efficiency of the mucus barrier at the gastric level ( Cristoni and Magistretti, 1987; Magistretti et al., 1988 ).

What are anthocyanidins in fruits and vegetables?

Anthocyanidins are considered as antioxidant flavonoid pigments that give a purple or red colour to the fruits and vegetables such as grapes, cherries, raspberries, blueberries, plums, beets and purple cabbage. It also gives bright colours to flowers.

What are the benefits of anthocyanins in food?

The Benefits of Anthocyanins. Found naturally in a number of foods, anthocyanins are the pigments that give red, purple, and blue plants their rich coloring. In addition to acting as antioxidants and fighting free radicals, anthocyanins may offer anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-cancer benefits.