Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences

« Back to Farmacia Journal 2/2014

STUDIES CONCERNING ANTIOXIDANT AND HYPOGLYCAEMIC ACTIVITY OF ARONIA MELANOCARPA FRUITS

ELIZA OPREA1*, BOGDAN NICOLAE MANOLESCU3, ILEANA CORNELIA FĂRCĂŞANU1, PAULINA MLADIN4, DANA MIHELE2,5

1.University of Bucharest, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Catalysis, 4-12 Regina Elisabeta, 030018, Bucharest, Romania
2.Clinical Hospital of Infectious and Tropical Diseases“Dr. Victor Babeș”, Bucharest
3.University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila”, 050471, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, 8 Eroilor Sanitari, Bucharest, Romania
4.Fruit Research Institute Pitesti Mărăcineni Piteşti, 17450, Argeş, Romania
5.University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Carol Davila", Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, Bucharest, Romania

Download Full Article PDF

The juice from Aronia melanocarpa berries is a source of phenolic compounds with antioxidant properties: procyanidins, anthocyanins, (–)-epicatechin, chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid. The aim of our work was to investigate in vivo the antioxidant action of A. melanocarpa on healthy rats that were fed on normal diet supplemented with berries juice for six weeks. Cholesterol, serum triglycerides, total proteins and urea nitrogen were determined. The total antioxidant capacity, thiobarbituric acid - reactive substances, total thiol groups and glutathione (TSH and GSH), nitric oxide production, protein carbonyls, catalase and ceruloplasmin were also assayed in serum drawn from the animals. Our data indicated that the A. melanocarpa berry juice intake correlated with a decrease in the oxidative stress markers such as total antioxidant capacity, total thiol groups and glutathione. The usual biochemical parameters, as well as the enzymes catalase and ceruloplasmin were unaffected by the treatment. Alloxan-induced diabetic rats treated with juice from A. melanocarpa berries exhibited a significant decrease of glycaemia levels (42.83% for alloxan-induced diabetic rats and 6.85% for healthy rats).