Radiolabelled cyanidin 3-O-glucoside is poorly absorbed in the mouse

Anthocyanins are natural pigments abundant in various fruits and berries that are involved in the prevention of various chronic diseases. Their low concentrations in plasma and urine are explained in part by their complex chemistry and the formation of still uncharacterised metabolites. The aim of the present study was to follow the distribution of anthocyanins in the body using 14C-labelled cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (Cy3G) fed by gavage to mice. After the administration of 22.2 kBq 14C-Cy3G (0.93 mg), radioactivity was detected in most organs tested over the following 24 h with a peak observed in inner tissues at 3 h. The major fraction of the radioactivity (44.5 %) was found in the faeces collected 24 h after ingestion. At 3 h after oral administration of 141 kBq 14C-Cy3G (4.76 mg), most of the radioactivity (87.9 % of intake) was recovered in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, especially in the small intestine (50.7 %) and the caecum (23 %). At this time, 3.3 % of the radioactivity was detected in urine. There was minimal accumulation (0.76 %) of radioactivity in tissues outside the GI tract. Distribution of radioactivity varied among organs, with liver, gallbladder and kidneys showing the highest radioactivity. Taken as a whole, these results show that Cy3G is poorly absorbed in the mouse.