Phytoestrogens are plant compounds with estrogenic effects found in many foods. We have previously reported phytoestrogen activity of blackcurrant anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-rutinoside, delphinidin-3-glucoside, and delphinidin-3-rutinoside) via the estrogen receptor (ER)α. In this study, we investigated the participation of ERβ in the phytoestrogen activity of these anthocya...

We have shown that a diet containing freeze-dried black raspberries (BRB) inhibits the development of chemically induced cancer in the rat esophagus. To provide insights into possible mechanisms by which BRB inhibit esophageal carcinogenesis, we evaluated an ethanol (EtOH) extract of BRB, and two component anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside) in BRB, for their effec...

Twenty three samples of 18 Portuguese olive leaf cultivars were analysed by a reversed-phase HPLC/DAD procedure and eight flavonoidic compounds were identified and quantified (luteolin 7,4'-O-diglucoside, luteolin 7-O-glucoside, rutin, apigenin 7-O-rutinoside, luteolin 4'-O-glucoside, luteolin, apigenin and diosmetin). Luteolin 7,4'-O-diglucoside and luteolin 4'-O-glucoside were identified by H...

Weaning pigs (7.9 +/- 1.7 kg) were fed a freeze-dried powder of marionberry (MB) by stomach tube to study the absorption and metabolism of anthocyanins. Four major anthocyanins (ACNs) were found in MB: cyanidin-3-glucoside (Cy-3-glc, 78%), cyanidin-3-rutinoside (Cy-3-rutin, 20%), pelargonidin-3-glucoside (Pg-3-glc, 0.4%), and 1 unknown acylated cyanidin-based ACN (UACy, 1.5%). In the urine, the...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the activity of high-polyphenolic black currant (Ribes nigrum L.) and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) juices against bacterial strains Asaia lannensis and Asaia bogorensis isolated as spoilage of commercial soft drinks. The composition of fruit juices was evaluated using chromatographic techniques HPLC and LC-MS. The adhesion to glass, polystyrene, and pol...

In the course of search for potent inhibitors of chitin synthase II from natural resources, seven tannins and related compounds were isolated from the aerial part of Euphorbia pekinensis and identified as gallic acid (1), methyl gallate (2), 3-O-galloyl-(-)-shikimic acid (3), corilagin (4), geraniin (5), quercetin-3-O-(2"-O-galloyl)-beta-D-glucoside (6), and kaempferol-3-O-(2"-O-galloyl)-beta-D...

The present study aimed to investigate the chemical composition, and the antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of Ailanthus excelsa, a plant used in Egyptian traditional medicine. Chromatographic separation of a methanol extract of A. excelsa leaves yielded four flavones, namely apigenin (1), apigenin 7-O-beta-glucoside (2), luteolin (3), and luteolin 7-O-beta-glucoside (4), and seven fl...

Anthocyanins are major pigments in colored grape (Vitis vinifera) berries, and most of them are monomethoxylated or dimethoxylated. We report here the functional characterization of an anthocyanin O-methyltransferase (AOMT) from grapevine. The expression pattern in two cultivars with different anthocyanin methylation profiles (Syrah and Nebbiolo) showed a peak at start ripening (véraison), when...

The effect of acidified calcium sulfate (ACS) on the quality of litchi ( Litchi chinensis Sonn. cv. 'Brewster') fruit after harvest was evaluated. ACS at 1.25% or higher concentrations significantly inhibited the activities of polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase in the pericarp during storage at both 5 and 10 degrees C. These treatments also effectively prevented browning and retained the red col...