TheEffectsofBlueberryPhytochemicalsonCell ModelsofInflammationandOxidativeStress

Abstract

Blueberries have been extensively studied for the health benefits associated with their high phenolic content. The positive impact of blueberry consumptiononhumanhealthisassociatedinpartwithmodulationofproinflammatorymolecularpathwaysandoxidativestress.Here,wereview in vitro studies examining the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of blueberry phytochemicals, discuss the results in terms of relevance to disease and health, and consider how different blueberry components modulate cellular mechanisms. The dampening effects of blueberryderivedmoleculesoninflammationandoxidativestressincellmodelshavebeendemonstratedthroughdownregulationoftheNF-κBpathwayand reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation. The modulatory effects of blueberry phytochemicals on the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and antioxidant system are not as well described, with inconsistent observations reported on immune cells and betweenmodelsofendothelial,dermal,andocularinflammation.Althoughanthocyaninsareoftenreportedasbeingthemainbioactivecompound in blueberries, no individual phytochemical has emerged as the primary compound when different fractions are compared; rather, an effect of whole blueberry extracts or synergy between different phenolic and nonphenolic extracts seems apparent. The major molecular mechanisms of blueberryphytochemicalsareincreasinglydefinedincellmodels,buttheirrelevanceinmorecomplexhumansystemsneedsfurtherinvestigation using well-controlled clinical trials, in which systemic exposures to blueberry-associated molecules are measured concurrently with physiologic indicesofinflammationandoxidativestress.