Anthocyanin-rich fraction from Thai berries interferes with the key steps of lipid digestion and cholesterol absorption.

Several studies have documented the hypolipidemic effect of anthocyanin-rich plants and . The objective of this study was to elucidate the inhibitory activity of anthocyanin-rich fraction from Thai berries against fat digestive enzymes. The ability of Thai berries to bind bile acid, disrupt cholesterol micellization and the cholesterol uptake into Caco-2 cells was also determined. The content of total phenolics, flavonoid and anthocyanin in L. (TPE), (L.) Spreng, (L.) Skeels, and A. Cunn. Ex DC was 222.7-283.5 mg gallic acid equivalents, 91.2-184.3 mg catechin equivalents, and 37.9-49.5 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents/g extract, respectively. The anthocyanin-rich fraction of all extracts inhibited pancreatic lipase and cholesterol esterase with the IC values of 90.6-181.7 μg/mL and 288.7-455.0 μg/mL, respectively. Additionally, all extracts could bind primary and secondary bile acids (16.4-36.6%) and reduce the solubility of cholesterol in artificial micelles (53.0-67.6%). Interestingly, TPE was the most potent extract on interfering the key steps of lipid digestion among the tested extracts. In addition, TPE (0.10-0.50 mg/mL) significantly reduced the cholesterol uptake into Caco-2 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. These results demonstrate a new insight into the role of anthocyanin-rich Thai berry extract on interfering the key steps of lipid digestion and absorption.