Anthocyanin-fucoidan nanocomplex for preventing carcinogen induced cancer: Enhanced absorption and stability

Anthocyanins, commonly extracted from aronia, exhibit excellent in antioxidant activity and anti-cancer activity. However, anthocyanins are not only easily oxidized in water but also rapidly disappear from the body, thus requiring a large amount of administration. To solve these limitations, we selected fucoidan, an anionic polymer, to produce an anthocyanin-fucoidan nanocomplex (AFNC) with enhanced absorption and chemical stability by ionic bonding and π-π stacking between anthocyanins. In vitro, AFNC showed increased cell permeability absorption and plasma chemical stability than free anthocyanins. AFNC suppressed the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) signal including IκBα/NF-κB signaling pathway and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In vivo, AFNC exhibited 3.24-fold higher bioavailability than free anthocyanin in rats. AFNC effectively suppressed the generation of carcinogenesis in the 7,12-Dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) well-known tumorigenesis model. These results could be used to extend the applications of anthocyanins in anti-cancer treatment and in health care foods, and various pharmaceutical industries.