Pelargonidin 3-glucoside-enriched strawberry attenuates symptoms of DSS-induced inflammatory bowel disease and diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rats

Purpose: To determine whether the anthocyanin, pelargonidin 3-glucoside (P3G), attenuates symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and metabolic syndrome in rats. Methods: We tested P3G-enriched strawberry in two models of chronic inflammation in rats, chronic IBD induced by 0.5% dextran sodium sulphate in the drinking water for 12 weeks (D) and metabolic syndrome induced by a high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet (H) for 16 weeks. P3G-enriched strawberry was added to the diet for the final 6 weeks in IBD rats (DP) or 8 weeks in H rats (HP) to provide a dose of 8 mg P3G/kg/day. Results: D rats had marked diarrhoea, bloody stools, erosion of mucosal epithelium, crypt atrophy, loss of villi and goblet cells, and inflammatory cell infiltration. These symptoms were reversed by P3G with healthy stools and mucosal lining of ileum and colon including increased villi, crypts and goblet cells and reduced inflammation. H rats developed hypertension, dyslipidaemia, central obesity, increased ventricular stiffness, cardiac and liver inflammation, and steatosis. P3G treatment in H rats improved systolic blood pressure, ventricular stiffness, and cardiac and liver structure, and reduced abdominal fat, abdominal circumference and body weight gain. Conclusions: Our study indicates that dietary P3G decreased inflammation to decrease the symptoms of IBD, and to improve cardiovascular, liver and metabolic functions in metabolic syndrome.