fig5

Figure 5. Anthocyanin mechanism of action. Based on structural-activity relationships (SAR), the ortho-dihydroxyphenyl functional group on the B-ring of anthocyanidins plays a key role in inhibiting the action of AP-1 and cell transformation. The compound inhibits MAPK/ERK and mitochondrial associated pathway caspases 3, 7, 8 to induce apoptosis. Further, anthocyanins have exhibited inhibition of cyclin-B by acting on p51 and p21 signaling pathways to induce cell cycle arrest. In addition, anthocyanins can act through the NF-κB signaling pathway to mediate anti-inflammatory functions. NF-κB: nuclear factor-κB; MAPK: mitogen-activated protein kinase; ERK: extracellular signaling regulated kinases