Vaccinium corymbosum L. (blueberry) extracts exhibit protective action against cadmium toxicity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells

Eliza Oprea; Lavinia L Ruta; Ioana Nicolau; Claudia V Popa; Aurora D Neagoe; Ileana C Farcasanu

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.12.020

Vaccinium corymbosum L. (blueberry) extracts exhibit protective action against cadmium toxicity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells

Food Chem. 2014:152:516-21. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.12.020. Epub 2013 Dec 11.

Authors

Eliza Oprea¹, Lavinia L Ruta², Ioana Nicolau³, Claudia V Popa⁴, Aurora D Neagoe⁵, Ileana C Farcasanu⁶

Affiliations

¹ University of Bucharest, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Catalysis, Sos. Panduri 90-92, 050663 Bucharest, Romania. Electronic address: eliza.oprea@g.unibuc.ro.
² University of Bucharest, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Catalysis, Sos. Panduri 90-92, 050663 Bucharest, Romania. Electronic address: lavinia.ruta@g.unibuc.ro.
³ University of Bucharest, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Catalysis, Sos. Panduri 90-92, 050663 Bucharest, Romania. Electronic address: ioanaa.dumitru@g.unibuc.ro.
⁴ University of Bucharest, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Catalysis, Sos. Panduri 90-92, 050663 Bucharest, Romania. Electronic address: claudia.popa@g.unibuc.ro.
⁵ University of Bucharest, Faculty of Biology, Spl. Independentei 91-95, 050095 Bucharest, Romania. Electronic address: aurora.neagoe@unibuc.ro.
⁶ University of Bucharest, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Catalysis, Sos. Panduri 90-92, 050663 Bucharest, Romania. Electronic address: ileana.farcasanu@g.unibuc.ro.

PMID: 24444969
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.12.020

Abstract

Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) are a rich source of antioxidants and their consumption is believed to contribute to food-related protection against oxidative stress. In the present study, the chemoprotective action of blueberry extracts against cadmium toxicity was investigated using a cadmium-hypersensitive strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Four varieties of blueberries were used in the study, and it was found that the extracts with high content of total anthocyanidins exhibited significant protective effect against the toxicity of cadmium and H2O2. Both the blueberry extracts and pure cyanidin exhibited protective effects against cadmium in a dose-dependent manner, but without significantly interfering with the cadmium accumulation by the yeast cells. The results imply that the blueberry extracts might be a potentially valuable food supplement for individuals exposed to high cadmium.

Keywords: Cadmium; Cyanidin; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Vaccinium corymbosum; YAP1.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Blueberry Plants / chemistry*
Cadmium / toxicity*
Fruit / chemistry*
Hydrogen Peroxide / toxicity
Plant Extracts / pharmacology*
Protective Agents / pharmacology*
Saccharomyces cerevisiae / drug effects*

Substances

Plant Extracts
Protective Agents
Cadmium
Hydrogen Peroxide