The effect of dietary supplementation with blueberry, cyanidin-3-O-β-glucoside, yoghurt and its peptides on gene expression associated with glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle obtained from a high-fat-high-carbohydrate diet induced obesity model

Critical Review on Anti-Obesity Effects of Anthocyanins Through PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathways

Obesity is a global health crisis and is one of the major reasons for the rising prevalence of metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers. There has been growing interest in the search for natural molecules with potential anti-obesity effects; among the phytochemicals of interest are anthocyanins, which are flavonoid pigments present in many fruits and vegetables. Anthocyanins influence obesity via several signaling pathways. The PI3K/Akt signaling pathway plays a major role with a focus on downstream targets such as GLUT4, FOXO, GSK3β, and mTOR, which play a central role in the regulation of glucose metabolism, lipid storage, and adipogenesis. The influence of critical factors such as oxidative stress and inflammation also affect the pathophysiology of obesity. However, the studies reviewed have certain limitations, including variations in experimental models, bioavailability challenges, and a lack of extensive clinical validation. While anthocyanin shows tremendous potential, challenges such as poor bioavailability, stability, and regulatory matters must be overcome for successful functional food inclusion of anthocyanins. The future of anthocyanin-derived functional foods lies in their ability to overcome hurdles. Therefore, this review highlights the molecular mechanisms of obesity through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathways and explores how anthocyanins can modulate these signaling pathways to address obesity and related metabolic disorders. It also addresses some ways to solve the challenges, like bioavailability and stability, while emphasizing future possibilities for anthocyanin-based functional foods in obesity management.

A Review of the Role of an Anthocyanin, Cyanidin-3-O-β-glucoside in Obesity-Related Complications

Obesity has become a major health issue worldwide and obese individuals possess higher levels of adipose tissue when compared with healthy individuals. Obesity is highly associated with the development of different chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, cancers, etc. Previous studies established that anthocyanin compounds play an important role in attenuating obesity-related consequences. Among various anthocyanin compounds, cyanidin-3-O-β-glucoside (C3G) is the most important component and is widely distributed in various colored edible plant materials, especially berries, cherries, black rice, purple corn, etc. In recent decades, several studies have reported the therapeutical properties of C3G. C3G has various biological properties and health benefits, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anti-obesity, neuroprotective, anticancer, etc. In this review, we summarized the in vitro and in vivo studies in relation to the role of C3G in obesity-related complications. Several mechanistic studies demonstrated that C3G maintains the metabolism of glucose, fatty acids, and lipids by regulating different genes and signaling pathways. It could be concluded that the consumption of C3G protects healthy individuals from obesity-related issues by maintaining body weight and regulating their metabolism and energy balance. This review provides some important signaling pathways/targets of C3G to facilitate the prevention and treatment of obesity, leading to the development of important food supplements.