Bilberry StudiesResearch Shows Bilberry May Protect Your Heart, Eyes & Help Fight Some Forms of Cancer
Bilberry Study - 1
Bilberry May Have Effect on Colorectal CancerCancer Prev Res (Phila Pa). 2009 Jul;2(7):625-33.Pilot study of oral anthocyanins for colorectal cancer chemoprevention. Thomasset S, Berry DP, Cai H, West K, Marczylo TH, Marsden D, Brown K, Dennison A, Garcea G, Miller A, Hemingway D, Steward WP, Gescher AJ. Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine, University of Leicester, Leicester LE2 7LX, United Kingdom. Comment in: * Cancer Prev Res (Phila Pa). 2009 Jul;2(7):608-10. Naturally occurring anthocyanins possess colorectal cancer chemopreventive properties in rodent models. We investigated whether mirtocyan, an anthocyanin-rich standardized bilberry extract, causes pharmacodynamic changes consistent with chemopreventive efficacy and generates measurable levels of anthocyanins in blood, urine, and target tissue. Twenty-five colorectal cancer patients scheduled to undergo resection of primary tumor or liver metastases received mirtocyan 1.4, 2.8, or 5.6 grams (containing 0.5-2.0 grams anthocyanins) daily for 7 days before surgery. Bilberry anthocyanins were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with visible or mass spectrometric detection. Proliferation was determined by immunohistochemistry of Ki-67 in colorectal tumor. Concentrations of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I were measured in plasma. Mirtocyan anthocyanins and methyl and glucuronide metabolites were identified in plasma, colorectal tissue, and urine, but not in liver. Anthocyanin concentrations in plasma and urine were roughly dose-dependent, reaching approximately 179 ng/gram in tumor tissue at the highest dose. In tumor tissue from all patients on mirtocyan, proliferation was decreased by 7% compared with preintervention values. The low dose caused a small but nonsignificant reduction in circulating IGF-I concentrations. In conclusion, repeated administration of bilberry anthocyanins exerts pharmacodynamic effects and generates concentrations of anthocyanins in humans resembling those seen in Apc(Min) mice, a model of FAP adenomas sensitive to the chemopreventive properties of anthocyanins. Studies of doses containing <0.5 gram bilberry anthocyanins are necessary to adjudge whether they may be appropriate for development as colorectal cancer chemopreventive agents. PMID: 19584076 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Bilberry Study - 2
Anthocyanins in Bilberry Fruit May Protect Against UVA Damage of the SkinBiofactors. 2008;33(4):249-66.Bilberry extract reduces UVA-induced oxidative stress in HaCaT keratinocytes: a pilot study. Svobodová A, Rambousková J, Walterová D, Vostalová J. Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic. alf.svoboda@seznam Exposure to UVA radiation is known to cause many adverse biological effects by inducing the stricken cells to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). In recent years the use of botanicals has received considerable interest in the skin protection. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) fruit contains several polyphenols with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study we evaluated potential UVA preventive effect of V. myrtillus fruit extract (VME; anthocyanins, 25% w/w) in HaCaT keratinocytes. Pre-treatment (1 h) or post-treatment (4 h) of HaCaT with VME resulted in attenuation of UVA-caused damage. Application of the extract significantly reduced UVA-stimulated ROS formation in keratinocytes. VME also prevented/reduced UVA-caused peroxidation of membrane lipids and depletion of intracellular GSH. The observed cytoprotective effect may be linked to the antioxidant activity of the plant constituents, namely anthocyanins. PMID: 19509461 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Bilberry Study - 3
Anthocyanins in Bilberry May Have the Potential to Prevent and Protect Against Cardiovascular DiseasesJ Agric Food Chem. 2009 Jun 10;57(11):4626-9.Effect of Vaccinium myrtillus and its polyphenols on angiotensin-converting enzyme activity in human endothelial cells. Persson IA, Persson K, Andersson RG. Department of Medical and Health, Division of Drug Research/Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linkoping University, Linkoping, Sweden. ingrid.persson@liu.se This study investigates if the connection between Vaccinium myrtillus and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) might be an explanation of the pharmacological effects on circulation. Cultured endothelial cells from human umbilical veins were incubated with bilberry 25E extract. The main anthocyanidins combined in myrtillin chloride and separately in cyanidin, delphinidin, and malvidin, respectively, were examined concerning their effects on ACE. After 10 min of incubation with bilberry 25E, a significant, dose-dependent inhibition of ACE activity was seen, and after incubation with myrtillin chloride a significant inhibition was seen. No effect was seen with the anthocyanidins. The effect seems to be dependent on this specific mixture of anthocyanins in the bilberry. V. myrtillus may thus have the potential to prevent and protect against cardiovascular diseases. PMID: 19441816 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Bilberry Study - 4
Bilberry Extract May Be Effective At Inhibiting The Growth of Human Leukemia CellsJ Agric Food Chem. 2003 Jan 1;51(1):68-75.Induction of apoptosis in cancer cells by Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and the anthocyanins. Katsube N, Iwashita K, Tsushida T, Yamaki K, Kobori M. Fruit Processing Research Center, AOHATA Corporation, Takehara, Hiroshima 729-2392, Japan. Among ethanol extracts of 10 edible berries, bilberry extract was found to be the most effective at inhibiting the growth of HL60 human leukemia cells and HCT116 human colon carcinoma cells in vitro. Bilberry extract induced apoptotic cell bodies and nucleosomal DNA fragmentation in HL60 cells. The proportion of apoptotic cells induced by bilberry extract in HCT116 was much lower than that in HL60 cells, and DNA fragmentation was not induced in the former. Of the extracts tested, that from bilberry contained the largest amounts of phenolic compounds, including anthocyanins, and showed the greatest 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. Pure delphinidin and malvidin, like the glycosides isolated from the bilberry extract, induced apoptosis in HL60 cells. These results indicate that the bilberry extract and the anthocyanins, bearing delphinidin or malvidin as the aglycon, inhibit the growth of HL60 cells through the induction of apoptosis. Only pure delphinidin and the glycoside isolated from the bilberry extract, but not malvidin and the glycoside, inhibited the growth of HCT116 cells. PMID: 12502387 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Bilberry Study - 5
Bilberry May Protect Against Retinal DamageMol Nutr Food Res. 2009 Jul;53(7):869-77. Bilberry and its main constituents have neuroprotective effects against retinal neuronal damage in vitro and in vivo. Matsunaga N, Imai S, Inokuchi Y, Shimazawa M, Yokota S, Araki Y, Hara H. Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Molecular Pharmacology, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan. Our aim was to determine whether a Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry) anthocyanoside (VMA) and/or its main anthocyanidin constituents (cyanidin, delphinidin, and malvidin) can protect retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) against retinal damage in vitro and in vivo. In RGC cultures (RGC-5, a rat ganglion cell-line transformed using E1A virus) in vitro, cell damage and radical activation were induced by 3-(4-morpholinyl) sydnonimine hydrochloride (SIN-1, a peroxynitrite donor). Cell viability was measured using a water-soluble tetrazolium salt assay. Intracellular radical activation within RGC-5 cells was evaluated using 5-(and-6)-chloromethyl-2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate acetyl ester (CM-H(2)DCFDA). Lipid peroxidation was assessed using the supernatant fraction of mouse forebrain homogenates. In mice in vivo, we evaluated the effects of VMA on N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA)-induced retinal damage using hematoxylin-eosin and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) stainings. VMA and all three anthocyanidins (i) significantly inhibited SIN-1-induced neurotoxicity and radical activation in RGC-5, (ii) concentration-dependently inhibited lipid peroxidation in mouse forebrain homogenates. Intravitreously injected VMA significantly inhibited the NMDA-induced morphological retinal damage and increase in TUNEL-positive cells in the ganglion cell layer. Thus, VMA and its anthocyanidins have neuroprotective effects (exerted at least in part via an anti-oxidation mechanism) in these in vitro and in vivo models of retinal diseases.
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