Bilberry anthocyanins have pronounced health effects, even though they have a low bioavailability. The mechanism underlying health protection is believed to relate, in part, to antioxidant activity. To increase the bioavailability, the Bilberry was encapsulated in 8 nm diameter liposomal spheres called NutraNanoSpheres™ (NNS) at a concentration of 2.5 mg/50 µL. These Bilberry NNS were used to study the apoptotic/cytotoxic effects on K562 cancer cells. The uptake of Propidium Iodide in a special cell viability formulation into dead K562 cells was used to measure the percentage of dead cells. The LD<sub>50 </sub>was determined to be 0.01-0.04 mg/mL of Bilberry per 10<sup>5</sup> K562 cells at 72 hr. of cell culture exposure. These levels, which showed direct cytotoxic effects, were 10 times lower than what is required for the Bilberry that is not encapsulated as shown in the literature. Interestingly the percentage inhibition actually decreased from 67% to 40% at the higher NNS Bilberry concentrations of 1.1 mg/ml. The 10 fold increase in bioavailability with the Bilberry NNS and its water solubility, results in the feasibility of conducting in vivo clinical cancer trials.

Comparison of the anticancer effects of free vs. lyposome encapsulated bilberry extract

251st National Meeting (2016)

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