Toxicity Profile for Anthocyanins (1991)

Abstract

Anthocyanins occur naturally in fruit and vegetables. The acute oral toxicity of these substances was low in rodents. Short-term feeding studies with a specific grape-skin extract in rats and dogs did not clearly identify any sites for toxic attack and reproduction in rats was unaffected. Grape skin colour given orally to mice slightly increased the incidence of chromosomal damage, and damaged the chromosomes of mammalian cells in culture. There was no evidence of mutagenicity in bacterial assays (including Ames tests) with various anthocyanins and their component moieties. Delphinidin and a delphinidin/cyanidin polymer were inactive in genotoxicity screening assays in yeast but induced chromosomal damage in mammalian cells in culture.