Differential Effects of Betacyanin and Betaxanthin Pigments on Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Response in Murine Macrophages

Ganwarige Sumali N. Fernando, Natalia N. Sergeeva, Nikolaos Vagkidis, Victor Chechik, Lisa J. Marshall, Christine Boesch*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Scope: Betalain pigments are increasingly highlighted for their bioactive and anti-inflammatory properties, although research is lacking to demonstrate contributions of individual betalains. The work herein aimed to compare effects of four main betalains on inflammatory and cell-protective markers and to highlight potential structure-related relationships of the two main subgroups: betacyanins vs betaxanthins. Methods and results: Murine RAW 264.7 macrophages were stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide following incubation with betacyanins (betanin, neobetanin) and betaxanthins (indicaxanthin, vulgaxanthin I) in concentrations from 1 to 100 µM. All betalains suppressed expression of pro-inflammatory markers IL-6, IL-1β, iNOS, and COX-2 with tendency for stronger effects of betacyanins compared to betaxanthins. In contrast, HO-1 and gGCS showed mixed and only moderate induction, while more emphasized effects were observed for betacyanins. While all betalains suppressed mRNA levels of NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX-2), a superoxide generating enzyme, only betacyanins were able to counteract hydrogen peroxide induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, in alignment with their radical scavenging potential. Furthermore, betaxanthins exerted pro-oxidant properties, elevating ROS production beyond hydrogen peroxide stimulation. Conclusion: In summary, all betalains display anti-inflammatory properties, although only betacyanins demonstrate radical scavenging capacities, indicating potential differing responses under oxidative stress conditions, which requires further research.

Original languageEnglish
Number of pages11
JournalMolecular Nutrition and Food Research
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 19 May 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.

Funding Information:
This work was partially supported by the N8 AgriFood consortium. GSNF was funded by a Commonwealth PhD Scholarship. The authors acknowledge the contribution of Ms Nan Jiang for conducting preliminary experiments on this topic.

Keywords

  • betalains
  • inflammation
  • oxidative stress
  • pro-inflammatory cytokines

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