Anthocyanins protect against DNA damage

Anthocyanins are flavonoids and constitute the largest group of water–soluble pigment. It has been reported that anthocyanins exert several therapeutical activities, acting as anti-inflammatories, maintaining the normal vascular permeability, and exerting anticarcinogenic effects in vitro (1). The above effects have been related mainly to the antioxidant properties of anthocyanins, since they have been demonstrated to act as antioxidants both in vitro and in vivo (2). In this study, different anthocyanins namely delphinidin, (DP) cyanidin (CY), and their glycosilated and rutinosinated derivatives, i.e. delphinidin-3-glucoside, delphinidin-3-rutinoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, and delphinidin-3-rutinoside, contained in blackcurrant, have been tested for their ability to protect against the DNA oxidative damage induced by tert-butyl-hydroperoxide (TBHP). DNA damage was evaluated considering different parameters; the induction of the proliferating nuclear antigen (PCNA), a protein involved in DNA excision repair, and the formation of DNA single strand breaks and oxidised DNA bases, detected by single cell gel electrophoresis (Comet test). Three different cell lines were used: smooth muscle cells (SMC), that play an important role in the initiation and development of vascular diseases, rat hepatoma cells (MH1C1), as cancer cells, and normal human fibroblast (NHF).