Abstract (eng)
In addition to lifestyle, environmental and genetic predisposition nutrition plays a crucial role in tumor development. Initiation and progression of tumorgenesis are associated with modification of specific signaling pathways, controlling proliferation, differentiation and induction of apoptosis. A major aim of chemoprevention research is to identify food constituents inhibiting these pathways.
Polyphenols are a broad class of plant constituents known to inhibit the activation of various receptors and hence are able to influence downstream signal transduction (Kern et al. 2005; Fridrich et al. 2007b; Teller et al. 2009a). In particular, extracts of berries and apples, rich in bioactive polyphenols, were in the focus of numerous studies. It was shown that particularly anthocyanins, a class of intensively colored polyphenols are capable to inhibit receptor tyrosine kinases, a group of receptors associated with tumor growth.
In this work anthocyanin-rich bilberry extract, various subfractions, isolated by the research group of Prof. Winterhalter (Institute of Food Chemistry, TU Braunschweig) and selected single compounds were investigated on their chemopreventive profile using different proliferation-associated in vitro endpoints. Focus was laid on polyphenol induced inhibition of EGFR activity (epidermal growth factor receptor) and tumor cell growth. All tests were performed using the human colon carcinoma cell line HT29 in the presence of catalase (100 U/ml).
Complex bilberry extracts have been shown previously to inhibit the EGFR activity in vitro (unpublished data from the research group of Prof. Marko). In order to identify potent substance classes, a bilberry extract, containing > 25 % anthocyanins (Symrise Holzminden, Germany) was fractionated by liquid-liquid extraction in a first attempt (Prof. Winterhalter, Institute of Food Chemistry TU Braunschweig). The resulting EGFR inhibitory activity could not been attributed to a specific class of compounds, because anthocyanins (and presumably other bioactive compounds) were omnipresent in all subfractions (Diplomarbeit Christine Krumböck, 2010). Therefore, HBE was fractionated again by membrane chromatography (Sartobind) to specifically separate the anthocyanin proportion.
Studies with the new fractions demonstrated that the anthocyanin-free fraction (FF) has a stronger impact on the activity of EGFR than the anthocyanin-rich fraction (AF). This anthocyanin-free fraction subsequently was separated into a fraction containing mostly anthocyanin polymers (PF) and a fraction with diverse polyphenols (CF). Both of these
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subfractions exhibited a clearly weaker inhibitory potential then FF. Further subfractions of CF, CFp and CFu, did not inhibit the phosphorylation status of the EGFR. Cyanidin (Cy), an anthocyanidin, was found to potently suppress the EGFR activity, whereas its corresponding anthocyanin, cyanidin-3-glucoside, had no inhibitory potential in equimolar concentrations. In contrast, CGA exhibited an inducing effect on the EGFR phosphorylation – an effect that was in line with previous studies from our research group (Diplomarbeit Christine Krumböck). The question arose whether CGA neutralizes the inhibiting effects of AF, FF or Cy on the EGFR activity. Therefore a coincubation with CGA and AF, FF and Cy respectively was performed to investigate the effect on the receptors activity. It revealed that the inhibitory effects of the tested substances were diminished partially due to CGA. Therefore it can be assumed that CGA is, at least in part, responsible for compensating effects in subfractions enriched with this substance.
Concerning tumor cell growth inhibition due to the subfractions, a different inhibition pattern appeared. In contrast to the investigations on EGFR activity AF had a stronger inhibitory effect on cell growth compared to FF. Consequentially; both effects seem not to depend on each other. Thus cell growth inhibition due to the extract is mainly caused by anthocyanins, not regulated by EGFR signaling but conceivably by another pathway. Cell growth inhibition by PF and the CF also had a rather weak effect.
In summary the anthocyanin content in the bilberry extract seems to play a minor role in suppression of EGFR activity. Instead the extracts bioactivity is assembled by additiv and compensating effects of further polyphenols. The inhibition of the MAPK signaling pathway as a result of the inhibition of EGFR did not directly influence cell growth in the selected time frame. Therefore, it can be assumed that the cell growth inhibitory properties of the extract and its fractions occur either via inhibition of other signaling pathways or within a different time period.