Scientific research

Tart cherry anthocyanins suppress inflammation-induced pain behaviour in rats
Jill M. Talla^a, Navindra P. Seeramb^b, Chengshui Zhaoa^a, Muraleedharan G. Nairb^b, Richard A. Meyerc^c and Srinivasa N. Raja^a
a Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 North Wolfe Street, Osler 292, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
b Bioactive Natural Products and Phytoceuticals, Department of Horticulture and National Food Safety and Toxicology Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
c Department of Neurosurgery, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
Received 25 June 2003;  Revised 24 November 2003;  accepted 25 November 2003.  Available online 8 January 2004.

"The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has increased in the United States and more patients are seeking CAM therapies for control of pain. The present investigation tested the efficacy of orally administered anthocyanins extracted from tart cherries on inflammation-induced pain behavior in rats. Paw withdrawal latency to radiant heat and paw withdrawal threshold to von Frey probes were measured. The first set of experiments examined the effects of tart cherry anthocyanins (400 mg/kg) on the nociceptive behaviors and edema associated with inflammation induced by intraplantar injection of 1% carrageenan. These studies also included tests of motor coordination. The second set of experiments determined if tart cherry anthocyanins (15, 85, and 400 mg/kg) dose-dependently affected the inflammation induced by intraplantar injection of 25% complete Freund’s adjuvant. We found that tart cherry extracts reduce inflammation-induced thermal hyperalgesia, mechanical hyperalgesia and paw edema. The suppression of thermal hyperalgesia was dose-dependent and the efficacy of highest dose (400 mg/kg) was similar to indomethacin (5 mg/kg). The highest dose anthocyanin (400 mg/kg) had no effects on motor function. These data suggest that tart cherry anthocyanins may have a beneficial role in the treatment of inflammatory pain. The antihyperalgesic effects may be related to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of anthocyanins. A better understanding of the modulatory role of dietary constituents and phytonutrients on pain will offer further therapeutic options for treating patients with persistent and chronic pain conditions."

Detection and quantification of the antioxidant melatonin in Montmorency and Balaton tart cherries
Burkhardt S, Tan DX, Manchester LC, Hardeland R, Reiter RJ.
Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center, Mail Code 7762, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78229-3900, USA.

"The antioxidant melatonin was recently identified in a variety of edible plants and seeds in high concentrations. In plants, as in animals, melatonin is believed to function as a free radical scavenger and possibly in photoperiodism. In this study, melatonin was detected and quantified in fresh-frozen Balaton and Montmorency tart cherries (Prunus cerasus) using high-performance liquid chromatography. Both cherry species contain high levels of melatonin compared to the melatonin concentrations in the blood of mammals. Montmorency cherries (13.46 +/- 1.10 ng/g) contain approximately 6 times more melatonin than do Balaton cherries (2.06 +/- 0.17 ng/g). Neither the orchard of origin nor the time of harvest influenced the amount of melatonin in fresh cherries. The implication of the current findings is that consuming cherries could be an important source of dietary melatonin inasmuch as melatonin is readily absorbed when taken orally. Also, previously published data and the results presented here show that melatonin is not only endogenously produced but also present in the diet."

Tart cherry anthocyanins inhibit tumor development in ApcMin mice and reduce proliferation of human colon cancer cells
Soo-Young Kanga^a, Navindra P. Seeramb^{b, c}, Muraleedharan G. Nairb^{b, c}, and Leslie D. Bourquin
a Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, 139 G.M. Trout Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1224, USA
b Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, 139 G.M. Trout Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1224, USA
c National Food Safety and Toxicology Center, Michigan State University, 139 G.M. Trout Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1224, USA
Received 1 April 2002;  revised 23 September 2002;  accepted 25 September 2002. ; Available online 8 April 2003.

"Anthocyanins, which are bioactive phytochemicals, are widely distributed in plants and especially enriched in tart cherries. Based on previous observations that tart cherry anthocyanins and their respective aglycone, cyanidin, can inhibit cyclooxygenase enzymes, we conducted experiments to test the potential of anthocyanins to inhibit intestinal tumor development in ApcMin mice and growth of human colon cancer cell lines. Mice consuming the cherry diet, anthocyanins, or cyanidin had significantly fewer and smaller cecal adenomas than mice consuming the control diet or sulindac. Colonic tumor numbers and volume were not significantly influenced by treatment. Anthocyanins and cyanidin also reduced cell growth of human colon cancer cell lines HT 29 and HCT 116. The IC50 of anthocyanins and cyanidin was 780 and 63 μM for HT 29 cells, respectively and 285 and 85 μM for HCT 116 cells, respectively. These results suggest that tart cherry anthocyanins and cyanidin may reduce the risk of colon cancer."

Dietary factors and hyperuricaemia
Schlesinger N.
Department of Medicine, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0019, USA. schlesna@umdnj.edu

"The connection of gout and hyperuricaemia with gluttony, overindulgence in food and alcohol and obesity dates from ancient times. Studies from different parts of the world suggest that the incidence and severity of hyperuricaemia and gout may be increasing. Uric acid (urate) is the end product of purine degradation. Although most uric acid is derived from the metabolism of endogenous purine, eating foods rich in purines contributes to the total pool of uric acid. Sustained hyperuricaemia is a risk factor for acute gouty arthritis, chronic tophaceous gout, renal stones and possibly cardiovascular events and mortality. Before starting lifelong urate-lowering drug therapy, it is important to identify and treat underlying disorders that may be contributing to hyperuricaemia. It is relevant to recognize the strong association of the insulin resistance syndrome (IRS) (abdominal obesity, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, raised serum insulin levels and glucose intolerance) with hyperuricaemia. Consumption of meat, seafood and alcoholic beverages in moderation and attention to food portion size is important. Moderation in the consumption of not only beer but also other forms of alcohol is essential. In the obese, controlled weight management has the potential to lower serum urate in a quantitatively similar way to relatively unpalatable "low purine" diets. Non-fat milk and low-fat yogurt have a variety of health benefits and dairy products may have clinically meaningful antihyperuricaemic effects. In addition, fruits, such as cherries and high intakes of vegetable protein diet may reduce serum urate levels."

Evidence that diet modification reduces in vivo oxidant damage
Jacob RA.
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Department of Pomology, University of California, Davis 95616, USA.

"Because few trials have studied the antioxidant effects of diets rather than vitamin supplements, the results of a recent trial that altered fruit, vegetable, and fat intake in healthy adults are especially valuable. The findings support the hypothesis that changing dietary patterns may decrease the risk of atherosclerosis by favorably altering the balance of oxidant defense and damage."