Ursolic and oleanolic acids are secondary plant metabolites that are known to be involved in the plant defence system against water loss and pathogens. Nowadays these triterpenoids are also regarded as potential pharmaceutical compounds and there is mounting experimental data that either purified compounds or triterpenoid-enriched plant extracts exert various beneficial effects, including anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anticancer, on model systems of both human or animal origin. Some of those effects have been linked to the ability of ursolic and oleanolic acids to modulate intracellular antioxidant systems and also inflammation and cell death-related pathways. Therefore, our aim was to review current studies on the distribution of ursolic and oleanolic acids in plants, bioavailability and pharmacokinetic properties of these triterpenoids and their derivatives, and to discuss their neuroprotective effects in vitro and in vivo.

Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments providing certain color for various plant parts, especially in edible berries. Earlier these compounds were only known as natural food colorants, the stability of which depended on pH, light, storage temperature and chemical structure. However, due to the increase of the in vitro, in vivo experimental data, as well as of the epidemiological studies, today anthocyanins and their metabolites are also regarded as potential pharmaceutical compounds providing various beneficial health effects on either human or animal cardiovascular system, brain, liver, pancreas and kidney. Many of these effects are shown to be related to the free-radical scavenging and antioxidant properties of anthocyanins, or to their ability to modulate the intracellular antioxidant systems. However, it is generally overlooked that instead of acting exclusively as antioxidants certain anthocyanins affect the activity of mitochondria that are the main source of energy in cells. Therefore, the aim of the present review is to summarize the major knowledge about the chemistry and regulation of biosynthesis of anthocyanins in plants, to overview the facts on bioavailability, and to discuss the most recent experimental findings related to the beneficial health effects emphasizing mitochondria.

Anthocyanins are biologically active water-soluble plant pigments that are responsible for blue, purple, and red colors in various plant parts—especially in fruits and blooms. Anthocyanins have attracted attention as natural food colorants to be used in yogurts, juices, marmalades, and bakery products. Numerous studies have also indicated the beneficial health effects of anthocyanins and their metabolites on human or animal organisms, including free-radical scavenging and antioxidant activity. Thus, our aim was to review the current knowledge about anthocyanin occurrence in plants, their stability during processing, and also the bioavailability and protective effects related to the antioxidant activity of anthocyanins in human and animal brains, hearts, livers, and kidneys.

Anthocyanins are essential contributors to fruit coloration, an important quality feature and a breed determining trait of a sweet cherry fruit. It is well established that the biosynthesis of anthocyanins is regulated by an interplay of specific transcription factors belonging to MYB and bHLH families accompanied by a WD40 protein. In this study, we isolated and analyzed PaWD40, PabHLH3, PabHLH33, and several closely related MYB10 gene variants from different cultivars of sweet cherry, analyzed their expression in fruits with different anthocyanin levels at several developmental stages, and determined their capabilities to modulate anthocyanin synthesis in leaves of two Nicotiana species. Our results indicate that transcription level of variant PaMYB10.1-1 correlates with fruit coloration, but anthocyanin synthesis in Nicotiana was induced by another variant, PaMYB10.1-3, which is moderately expressed in fruits. The analysis of two fruit-expressed bHLH genes revealed that PabHLH3 enhances MYB-induced anthocyanin synthesis, whereas PabHLH33 has strong inhibitory properties.

Ursolic and oleanolic acids are secondary plant metabolites that are known to be involved in the plant defence system against water loss and pathogens. Nowadays these triterpenoids are also regarded as potential pharmaceutical compounds and there is mounting experimental data that either purified compounds or triterpenoid-enriched plant extracts exert various beneficial effects, including anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anticancer, on model systems of both human or animal origin. Some of those effects have been linked to the ability of ursolic and oleanolic acids to modulate intracellular antioxidant systems and also inflammation- and cell death-related pathways. Therefore, our aim was to review the current knowledge about the distribution of ursolic and oleanolic acids in plants, bioavailability and pharmacokinetic properties of these triterpenoids and their derivatives, and to discuss their neuromodulatory effects in vitro and in vivo.

Phenolic compounds are widespread in berries and determine their antimicrobial activity. The aim of our study was to establish the amounts of phenolic compounds and the anthocyanin composition in berries of four Ribes species, and to evaluate the effect of berry extracts on the growth of common Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and also yeasts isolated from food processing plants. The phenolic content and anthocyanin composition were estimated spectrometrically and by HPLC, respectively. The highest amount of phenolic compounds, and also anthocyanins, was found in extracts of R. aureum ‘Corona’. The anthocyanin content was the lowest in berries of R. aureum Au Gs-5, with equal amounts of delphinidins and cyanidins. Delphinidins were predominant (68.6%) in berries of R. nigrum ‘Ben Tirran’, while cyanidins dominated in R. uva-crispa . The berry extracts of R. aureum Au Gs-5 and R. uva-crispa ‘Lûðiai’ had the largest growth-suppressing effect on yeasts and most of the bacteria tested. All of the berry extracts suppressed the growth of pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic bacteria. The industrially important Lactococcus lactis was the most resistant to the Ribes berry extracts. There was no correlation between the amount of anthocyanins in the extracts and their antimicrobial properties. Extracts with a lower anthocyanin–to-phenolics ratio more effectively inhibited the growth of bacteria.