Anthocyanins in Cornus alternifolia, Cornus controversa, Cornus kousa and Cornus florida fruits with health benefits

The anthocyanins in native Cornus alternifolia, Cornus controversa, Cornus kousa and Cornus florida were quantified by HPLC and characterized by spectroscopic methods. The analyses of C. alternifolia and C. controversa revealed that both contained delphinidin 3-O-glucoside (1), delphinidin 3-O-rutinoside (2) and cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (6), respectively. Similarly, C. florida and C. kousa showed identical anthocyanin profiles with major anthocyanins as cyanidin 3-O-galactoside (4) and cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (6), respectively. The amount of anthocyanins 1, 2 and 6 in C. alternifolia and C. controversa were 8.21, 8.44 and 0.02 mg; and 7.74, 5.92, and 0.02 mg/g of fresh fruits, respectively. The anthocyanins 4 and 6 in C. kousa and C. florida were 0.02 and 0.16 mg; and 0.62 and 0.03 mg/g fresh fruits, respectively. Anthocyanins 1 and 2 were not studied earlier for their inhibition of lipid peroxidation, cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX-1 and COX-2), and tumor cell proliferation. At 50 μg/mL, anthocyanins 1 and 2 inhibited lipid peroxidation by 71% and 68%, respectively. Similarly, they inhibited COX-1 enzymes by 39% and 49% and COX-2 enzyme by 54% and 48%, respectively, at 100 μg/mL. Anthocyanin 1 displayed 50% growth inhibition (IC50) at 21, 25, 50, 60, and 75 μg/mL, against HCT-116 (colon), MCF-7 (breast), NCI-H460 (lung), SF-268 (central nervous system CNS), and AGS (stomach) human tumor cell lines, respectively. Similarly, IC50 values for anthocyanin 2 were 38, 30, 76, 100, and 100 μg/mL against HCT-116, MCF-7, NCI H460, SF-268, and AGS, respectively. This is the first report of the quantification and biological activities of anthocyanins in C. alternifolia, C. kousa and C. florida in addition to the anthocyanins not previously quantified in C. controversa.