10/09/2018
Powerful Antioxidant!
Digging deeper, the most abundant anthocyanin found in purple corn, called “C3G” (3-O-? -D-glucoside6,7), also known as cyanidin-3-O-?-glucopyranoside,8 has been keeping researchers very busy lately. In a number of tests designed to assess the potential health benefits of this anthocyanin, one study after another has proven its antioxidant strength. Like other anthocyanins, C3G is found in a wide variety of food plants and is actually the most common anthocyanin found in nature. C3G is the most abundant anthocyanin in some foods, such as the juice of ruby oranges (Citrus sinensis [L.] Osbeck “Blood orange,” Rutaceae)8 and blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis [L.] Bailey, Rosaceae) extract.9 Red wine also contains appreciable amounts,10,11 but other anthocyanins predominate.1
C3G displays significant in vitro antioxidant activity. In one study C3G came out on top when compared to 13 other anthocyanins in the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) assay, which tests for antioxidant activity. The strength of C3G was 3.5 times that of Trolox® (a synthetic and potent antioxidant analogue of vitamin E).13 To date, the radical scavenging/antioxidant capacity of C3G has been demonstrated in at least a dozen different assays.8,14-20 In one in vitro study, C3G was tested for the potential to prevent damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) light. Its ability to inhibit the oxidation of fat cells induced by UVB (280-315 nm) light was at least 40 times that of vitamin E; however, vitamin E is a weak inhibitor of UVB-induced lipid oxidation because it rapidly breaks down under UV light.19 Oxidative stress and immune suppression caused by UV light are well-known for their role in the induction of skin cancers.
Oxidative stress is described as a state in which there is an excess of oxygen-based free radicals. To avoid the damage they can cause to cells, the body produces antioxidants to inactivate these free radicals. If they prove insufficient, however, the body suffers from oxidation of lipids, proteins, and nucleotide bases. In models of oxidative stress using oxidative injury to the liver, male rats fed a diet containing 0.2% C3G (2 g/kg of feed) for 2 weeks beforehand showed significantly less liver injury compared to the control group.21 A similar study in rats fed C3G in liquid form (0.9 mmol/kg) also found significant hepatoprotective effects.
