Metabolomic in vitro studies of fruit anthocyanins for understanding its mechanisms of action against Obesity

Abstract

Overweight and obesity are a growing global problem that generates serious socioeconomic damage to public health systems. The recent pandemic COVID-19 brought a new concern about obesity since it is identified both as a risk factor for the disease and as a serious consequence of prolonged confinement. It is demonstrated that regular intake of purple-coloured fruits, so-called berries, rich in anthocyanins, directly promote the prevention of obesity, prevent weight gain, and combat the development of biochemical processes that initiate the installation of the metabolic syndrome. The anthocyanins, exert its anti-obesity activity through at least six biological activities: inhibition of lipid absorption; increased energy expenditure; stimulation of lipolytic metabolism; increased satiety; antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity; and prebiotic effect. Despite the positive, prophylactic, and therapeutic effects that are observed in clinical studies, there are many events and interactions between anthocyanin intake and its anti-obesity action that are poorly understood. The phenomena involved in the digestion of anthocyanins, their stability, bioavailability, absorption, and interaction with the microbiota is not well comprehended. The present project proposes to broaden the understanding of the phenomena involved in the digestion of anthocyanins, their bioaccessibility, absorption, intracellular metabolism, interaction with the microbiota and anti-obesity action. Despite the recognized information that berry fruits are good for health, their consumption still low, and mostly anthocyanins in a common diet comes only from one or two different berries, like strawberry and blueberries. The decade for action in nutrition UN 2016 - 2025 reinforce the importance of investments in projects which promote healthy diets through production and consumption of local plant foods, such underexplored fruits. In this sense, there is a considerable diversity of fruits potentially rich in anthocyanins, which are an underexplored source of new foods, products, extracts, and compounds of economic and social interest. Therefore, in this project, we seek to investigate and value unconventional fruits that are sources of anthocyanins, reinforcing the body of evidence on their health benefits and disseminating their potential as new raw materials for healthy products. (AU)