Anti-Inflammatory Activity and ROS-Inhibitory Effect of Gomphrenin-Enriched Preparations

Background/Objectives: Betanidin glycosides (betacyanins) are plant dietary pigments with reported significant benefits on human health. Betacyanin research has largely focused on betanin common in some plant foods like beets, amaranth, quinoa, cacti fruits, whereas the biological properties of structurally diverse gomphrenin derivatives remain insufficiently characterized. Gomphrenin-type betacyanin dietary source is predominantly Malabar spinach (Basella alba L.) but its health-promoting and disease-preventing properties remain understudied. This study investigated whether differences in the composition of gomphrenin-rich preparations influence their effects on inflammatory and oxidative cellular responses. Methods: Betacyanin-rich preparations were obtained from Basella alba f. rubra fruits and Gomphrena globosa L. flowers using chromatographic purification. Their betacyanin profiles were characterized by LC-DAD-ESI-MS and total betacyanin contents were determined spectrophotometrically. The biological effects of crude and purified preparations (1-100 μg/mL) were evaluated in Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells and human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN). IL-8 secretion in Caco-2 cells, TNF-α, IL-8, and IL-1β secretion in LPS-stimulated PMN, ROS generation in f-MLP-stimulated PMN, and cell viability were assessed. Results: Purification resulted in preparations with markedly different betacyanin profiles. The gomphrenin-enriched BE₂ contained 312 ± 83 mg/g total betacyanins, whereas the acylated-betacyanin-enriched BE₃ contained 188 ± 12 mg/g and was dominated by globosin and other hydroxycinnamoyl derivatives. Despite its lower total betacyanin content, BE₃ displayed stronger inhibition of TNF-α, IL-8, and IL-1β secretion than BE₂; at 100 μg/mL, these cytokine levels were 39.17%, 44.61%, and 58.93% of the LPS control, respectively. All preparations reduced IL-8 secretion in Caco-2 cells by more than 50% at the highest concentration and the Basella preparations effectively suppressed neutrophil ROS generation. No significant cytotoxicity was observed. Conclusions: The biological activity of betalain-rich preparations was not determined by total betacyanin content alone but was associated with their qualitative pigment composition and broader chemical matrix. The stronger anti-inflammatory activity of the acylated-betacyanin-enriched preparation highlights hydroxycinnamoylated gomphrenins as candidates for further investigation, while the complex nature of the preparations warrants further studies to determine the contribution of individual pigments to the observed biological effects.