Cranberry extracts

Seeram NP, Adams LS, Hardy ML and Heber D. 2004. Total cranberry extract versus its phytochemical constituents antiproliferative and synergistic effects against human tumor cell lines. J Agric Food Chem 52(9) 2512-2517. 

Seeram, N. R Adams, L. S. Hardy, M. L. Heber, D. Total Cranberry Extract versus Its Phytochemical Constituents Antiproliferative and Synergistic Effects against Human Tumor Cell Lines.]. Agric. Food Chem. 2004, 52, 2512-2517. 

A 27-year-old woman presents a prescription for nitrofurantoin tablets 50 mg q.d.s. for 3 days and asks to speak to the pharmacist. She explains that her GP has checked her urine with a coloured strip and diagnosed a urinary tract infection (UTI). She is suffering considerable discomfort on urination due to a burn-ing/stinging sensation and her GP has suggested she purchase some Effercitrate over the counter. A friend has recommended she also purchase cranberry extract tablets and the patient would like your advice. 

Celestial Seasonings Cranberry contains 400 mg of cranberry extract standardized to more than 35% organic acids. The recommended dose is one capsule every day as needed with a full glass of water. 

Epidemiological data (22) and data from a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (11) support the use of cranberry juice to prevent urinary tract infections, although in the latter study differences in baseline characteristics between study groups may have influenced the results. Cranberry extract in capsule form was more effective than placebo in preventing recurrent urinary tract infections in a small study (23). 

Table II. Analysis of Derivatized Cranberry Extractables using GC-MS ...

Human studies have provided conflicting data on the association of cranberry extract consumption with calcium oxalate stone formation (Brinkley et al. 1981 Gettman et al. 2005 Kahn et al. 1967 Leahy et al. 2001 Light et al. 1973 Massey et al. 1993 Terris et al. 2001). 

Nutraceuticals Alfalfa juice, animal vaccine, barley juices, blue-green algae, choline, cosmeceutical material, cranberry extract, grape pomace extract and fermented, hops extract, hydrolysate, niacinamide, saw palmetto, spirulina, etc. ... 

Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) are potentially an excellent dietary source of phenolic confounds such as flavonoids, anthocyanins and caffeic acid derivatives which are potent antioxidants. Studies also link a lowered incidence of breast cancer to cranberry juice consumption. In this study, cranberry fruits were fractionated by several methods and tested for radical-scavenging activity in an effort to begin establishing a link between chemical composition and antioxidant activity. The strongest activity was observed in flavonoid-rich extracts. Cytotoxicity assays in several tumor cell lines showed some specificity for HT-29 tumor cells and K562 cells from a methanolic cranberry extract containing several phenolic compounds. 

Method 2 - Solvent partitioning of crude extract. To prepare the crude cranberry extract, 100 g of frozen whole cranberries were macerated using a blender in methanol/ 2% formic acid (300 mL/100 g berries), vacuum-filtered and washed. The filtrate was lyophilized to produce a dark red semisolid crude extract. The solvent partitioning protocol of Kupchan (3) was used to separate conq)onents by polarity as follows. Crude extract (8.0 g) was first partitioned between 100 mL water and 200 mL chloroform. The water layer was further partitioned between 100 mL water and 200 mL ethyl acetate to draw some organic-soluble con onents out of aqueous solution. The chloroform extract was partitioned between 100 mL each of hexane and 90% methanol. Extracts were then dried in vacuo. Extracts were assayed for radical-scavenging activity and tumor cell cytotoxicity as described below. From 100 g berries a typical yield of 8.54 g crude extract was obtained. Partitioning of the crude extract yielded 0.201 g solids from hexane, 0.132 g from methanol, 0.631 g from ethyl acetate and 4.228 g from the aqueous layer. 

The DPPH assay (5) was used to evaluate the free-radical-scavenging capacity of extracts prepared by the methods outlined above, whole berry extract and commercial cranberry juice cocktail (Ocean Spray Inc.). Activity was compared to that of a standard antioxidant (Vitamin E, Aldrich Chemical Co.) measured using the same methods. Varying concentrations of cranberry extracts were mixed with a 60 pM solution of DPPH in methanol. Quenching of the violet DPPH radical was observed as a decrease in absorbance at 515 nm over one hour. EC50 values are measured as the sample concentration required to decrease DPPH absorption by 50%. Results are shown in Table I. The DPPH assay was also used to evaluate the extracts of peel, solids and juice EC50 values are reported in Table V. 

Table I shows the results of a DPPH radical-scavenging assay on each of the whole-cranberry extracts prepared by Mediods 1 and 2. For whole cranberries, the highest antioxidant activity was observed in ethyl acetate extracts prepared by both methods, with an IC50 value of 0.033 mg/mL for the ethyl acetate extract prepared by Method 2. The ethyl acetate fraction was about twice as effective at radical scavenging as the whole-berry extract (IC50 = 0.078 mg/mL). Kinetics of these reactions were slow compared to the standard. Vitamin E for all cranberry extracts, radical scavenging occurred over a period of approximately one hour as compared to several minutes for vitamin E.

Further studies will address the structures of the major bioactive con )onents of the antioxidant and cytotoxic cranberry extracts, their compositions in extracts from peel, solids and juice, and their specific molecular and radical targets of activity. 

---