Aronia berry (Aronia mitschurinii ‘Viking’) is rich in anthocyanins, hydroxycinnamic acids, and proanthocyanidins. Low molecular weight aronia berry polyphenols are catabolized by the gut microbiota and absorbed in the colon. After consumption of aronia polyphenols, microbial-derived catabolites are more abundant than parent compounds in plasma. The profile of microbial-derived phenolic catabolites exhibits significant inter-individual variability between adults. Furthermore, experiments in isolated immunocytes and differentiated Caco-2 cells reveal that the anti-inflammatory activity of microbial phenolic metabolites vary significantly from unmetabolized aronia polyphenols. The structure-function relationships of these catabolites are inconsistent between bioassays relevant to gut and immune health. Furthermore, aronia berry consumption modulates the gut microbiota. In the adoptive transfer mouse model of colitis, the extent that whole aronia berry modulates gut microbiota depends on disease state. Early in the model, aronia berry decreased the relative abundance of Verrumicrobia and Akkermansia muciniphila, but increased the relative abundance of cecal Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes. However, as inflammation increased at the later stages of the model, the cecal microbiota was unchanged from the control diets. Therefore, in mice with severe colitis, the impact of inflammation on gut microbiota superseded the dietary effects of aronia berry. The berry matrix itself also affects gut microbial metabolism. In healthy mice, aronia phenolic extract differentially modulated colonic anthocyanins. Mice that consumed non-extractable aronia berry polyphenols had increased levels of cyanidin in feces compared to mice fed diets with extractable aronia polyphenols. Microbial catechol degradation I pathway (PWY-5415) was increased by diets with whole aronia berry and non-extractable aronia berry polyphenols relative to the control. Enrichment of this pathway was associated with increased relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae by aronia berry diets. Collectively, these experiments imply that we need a more precise understanding of the interrelationship of immune health and polyphenol catabolism by gut microbiota.

Gut microbiota and microbial catabolism modulate the anti-inflammatory activity of aronia berry polyphenols

ACS Fall 2021

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